


Hunted

by SpicyPepper_SweetSugar



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Alternative Universe - Soulmates, Alternative Universe - Werewolves, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood Exchange, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hunter!Oliver, Hybrid!Felicity, Love/Hate Relationship, Mates, Naughty dreams at times, Past Torture, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Werewolf Mates, alternative universe, hot and heavy, supernatural!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 21:21:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 342,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2243898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar/pseuds/SpicyPepper_SweetSugar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver Queen, the hunter in Starling City starts to receive strange messages during a board meeting, requesting that he finds a certain Ms. Felicity Smoak.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So let me just tell you one thing first: I have NOT forgotten about "Alternate" and I am not just "starting another new fic" by posting this. Actually, I've had this on my computer for quite some time now and I've been thinking about posting it just to see what you guys would think. It's a completely AU story, involving supernatural elements, so if you aren't into fangs and claws, I suggest you backtrack and check out some other fics instead! ;)
> 
> Either way, this is the first chapter. I have three others finished as of now, but I can't promise quick updates on this story because honestly, I'm taking things as they come. "Alternate" is my first priority at the moment and when that one is done, I'm hoping to fill out some prompts (send them to me on tumblr!) before jumping into this fic head first. Then I have a Vampire Diaries fic that I need to get back to because (shame on me) I haven't updated anything there for over a month and a half (It's a wonder I'm still getting reviews there!).
> 
> So, for now, please enjoy this and TELL ME if you think this is completely crazy or whatever. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but mean comments are not! ;)

**"Hunted"**

** **

**Chapter 1: The Mission**

Five years.

He had survived five years on an island, seen things that weren't supposed to exist and learned how to get rid of those things to protect the people in the city he grew up in. He survived and was taught to keep surviving and never give up until his mission was complete.

He had been presumed to be dead by everyone in his inner circle; his family and friends had held a funeral for him. When he returned, they had all been ecstatic, because their ' _Ollie_ ' was back home, where he belonged. What they didn't know about him though, was that he returned with a mission, given to him by his father who was proven to have known far more about what prowled the city at night than anyone else. What his family and friends didn't know, was that not only had he survived the island of Lian Yu, but he had returned as a protector of the innocent, who either did not know or who didn't know how to defend themselves.

They were called People of Darkness, because that was exactly what they were. They roamed the streets at night, attacking innocent woman who took a walk through the park at a late hour, killing and murdering those who crossed their path and didn't know that it was better to just run.

His first master, Yao Fei, had taught him the basics of hunting them. It took him a few months to even manage to capture a bird on the island for an early dinner, but soon, with the help of Yao Fei's other friend, Slade Wilson, he learned enough martial art skills to be able to defend himself. Then, Yao Fei was murdered, in cold blood, in front of him; an execution in front of not only him, but also Slade and Yao Fei's daughter, Shado.

Shado was beautiful and always tried to see the light in any situation. She had been captured as leverage for the imprisonment of Yao Fei, but they had saved her. The young woman became his mentor after her father's death and she was also the one who taught him how to use his weapon of choice; the bow.

But all that was in the past now, because he was back. He was back and he had a mission. He was the only one that could bring down the People of Darkness, which had become an underground organization during his absence. Their hold on the city had become stronger and it angered him that the authorities had let things get so far. Starling City's regime knew the truth about the People of Darkness, as did a selected few in the police force, who took care of cases that involved them, but they were all corrupt and had allowed the disease to fester and threaten the people of the city.

For two years, Oliver Queen fought the People of Darkness in Starling City as the man who was publicly known as a simple vigilante with a bow and some arrows. He had become known as 'The Hood' because of the media and at first, everyone seemed to think he was just a man who had too much free time. No civilian saw the pattern of his kills. No one knew that the officers and the coroners who knew the truth covered up the fact that the bodies he dropped had shriveled skin and a set of fangs instead of normal teeth.

After two years, Oliver wasn't alone anymore.

John Diggle, who had been hired by Oliver's mother after Oliver's return from the dead was no longer just his bodyguard. The two of them had had a shaky beginning, with Oliver avoiding the older man as much as possible until he did a full background check on him. It wasn't until Diggle was shot and poisoned that Oliver made the decision to reveal his alter ego and tell the truth. John had been reluctant to join at first, convinced that Oliver was crazy and suffering from PTSD after his time isolated on an island, but when Oliver presented him with the details of Andrew Diggle's murder, the evidence was too strong for Diggle to ignore. John kept Oliver grounded during the two years they worked together, taking down the People of Darkness one by one, all the while working to figure out what their ultimate goal was with infecting the city.

It was a day in June that Oliver got an anonymous text message. He had been in the middle of an important board meeting at his father's company, when his phone had chimed, interrupting the head of the finance department in the middle of a presentation.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, reaching for his phone that he had been sure he had put on silent. He looked at the screen and was presented by a mix of random numbers and letters. Frowning, he once again put the phone on silent before returning it to his pocket. "Please, continue," he nodded at the man presenting this month's profits.

_Riiing, riiing, riiing._

Oliver quickly took out his phone again, apologizing once more. "I swear I put it on silent," he told his mother, who gave him a scrutinizing look. He looked at the called-ID, but was once again presented with the jumble of letters and numbers. Turning the phone off completely, he glanced at Diggle out of the corner of his eye. The older man's poker face was in place, but in his eyes, Oliver could see that he too understood that something was up.

He couldn't pay any attention whatsoever to the rest of the presentation. Every fiber of his being was telling him that he needed to get out of the office and put on his hood for some reason. But the meeting was important, according to his mother, and he couldn't just waltz out of there like he didn't give a damn about his father's legacy.

As soon as the ten minute break started, Oliver hurried out of the room, Diggle in a tow.

"What's wrong?" Diggle asked, his voice low to make sure that no one overheard them.

"I don't know," Oliver whispered back as he turned on his phone again. "I got a text message first from an unknown number and then the person started calling me." Oliver watched as the screen lit up and blinked with a notification of 23 new text messages and nine missed phone calls.

He opened the messages, which all said the same three words:

 _'Find Felicity Smoak_.'

"Who the hell is Felicity Smoak?" Diggle asked, a frown settling on his face.

"No idea," Oliver muttered, "but maybe it's better if we ditch the meeting and investigate. I mean, the same message over twenty times from the same number? That can't be a coincidence."

"Yeah, might be a good idea to go to the Foundry and put up a search," Diggle agreed.

"I'll just tell my mom that something came up-"

"What are you talking about, Oliver?" Moira Queen interrupted as she and her husband Walter Steele walked up to the pair who had been whispering. "You can't just leave in the middle of a board meeting."

"Mom," Oliver sighed. "Something important has come up and I really can't stay."

Moira crossed her arms over her chest, "Really? And what may I ask is more important than this meeting?"

Oliver just looked at his mother, wondering why he- as an adult- had to tell her where he was going and why. Of course, his mother had been insisting for him to take the lead at Queen Consolidated since his return from the island, but he had refused her wish time and again. His real reason for not wanting to become CEO had to do with his secret night life, but publicly, he had only stated that he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility. After being home for two years, he had finally agreed to come along and at least shadow Walter, who was the acting CEO, and to learn the ropes. He made no promise whatsoever that he would take over one day, and quite frankly, his younger sister Thea had more of a natural talent when it came to businesses.

"Mom," Oliver began, but couldn't continue.

"You're staying here," Moira informed him curtly.

"Oh, Moira. Let the young man go," Walter said as he approached them. "The meeting will be over sooner than planned anyway."

"Which means he can leave  _after_  the meeting is over," Moira insisted.

"Oliver doesn't have to hear what progress the Applied Sciences Division has been making this month," Walter told his wife. "Besides, it will all be written down in a report that he'll be able to read tomorrow. If Oliver has somewhere important to be, then he can go."

Oliver gave Walter an appreciative look. Things between the two of them had been rocky at first since his return. He had never expected his mother to marry his father's best friend, and it had taken Oliver half a year to actually warm up to the man. Sometimes, Oliver wondered whether Walter knew more about him than he let on, but the two of them seemed to also have a non-spoken agreement not to ask too many questions.

"Thank you, Walter," Oliver said with a curt nod. "Mother, I'll see you at home," he said, kissing her cheek before excusing himself. Diggle followed him closely as they headed for the elevator.

"You know," Diggle began, "one of these days you're going to have to learn to come up with better excuses."

"I know," Oliver bit out. "But I can't just say I have a dentist appointment whenever I need to head out in the middle of the day."

"Right," Diggle chuckled. "People would probably begin to question the amount of cavities you got while you were on that island... By the way, you never did say how you manages to keep your teeth so clean," Diggle mused.

Oliver's lips twitched up into a half smirk. "I'll tell you some day," he said. "But today, we have something much more important to do."

"Ah, yes," Diggle nodded. "The mysterious Ms. Smoak. You said the number was a mix of scrambled up letters and numbers?"

"Yes," Oliver said. They walked toward the car that was parked in the underground garage. "We need to find out who sent the message, how they got my number and most importantly: who the hell Felicity Smoak is."

* * *

"Felicity Smoak," Diggle said, pointing at the big screen in the Foundry. "Originally from Las Vegas. Went missing a couple of years back. It seems like all personal data about her has been erased, which is weird."

"But there is a picture," Oliver mused, looking at the picture of the girl with dirty blonde locks. If he was being honest, she didn't look much younger than him and she certainly wasn't unattractive.

"Wait, something else popped up," Diggle said, clicking up some images. "Seems like she lived with her mother in Las Vegas before getting into MIT and graduating at an early age. No father and no information on him either."

"So she's like a genius?" Oliver quipped, eyebrow raised.

"I suppose," Diggle nodded. "Although, it doesn't say anything else about her. As I said, all records of her after MIT have been erased."

"Do you think she did it to herself?" It would make the most sense. If the girl was a computer wiz, it wouldn't be that hard for her to remove all traces of herself on the Internet and get herself a new identity.

At Oliver's question, Diggle looked up from the monitor and bowed his head in a curt nod, "Most likely."

A sigh escaped Oliver's lips as he put his hands on the desk, closing his eyes. Why would someone want him to find this girl? The even bigger question was how someone had known that he would have the resources to actually do it? It felt as if something was itching inside of him. He needed to know how much the anonymous person who had texted and called him this morning actually knew about him and his secret identity. The fact that someone other than Diggle knew his secret identity made him uneasy and he  _loathed_  feeling uneasy.

"Oliver?" Diggle's voice brought him back from his thoughts and forced him to open his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling, where the lights of the Foundry had begun flickering. "Are we having problems with the power?" Diggle asked.

Oliver pushed away from the table and looked up, frowning at the ever flickering lights. "We shouldn't be," he told his friend. "We got that extra generator installed last week, which means we should have power all year around, no matter if the city is experiencing any power issues."

"Then why the hell do they keep flickering like we're in a horror movie?" Diggle asked, just as the lights went out.

Oliver forced himself to not spring into immediate action and keep calm. He heard Diggle click off the safety on his gun, and Oliver slowly moved toward the desk where he knew his bow was laying. As his eyes slowly tried to adjust to the darkness that now surrounded them, he heard Diggle move from his place by the computers.

Suddenly, the biggest monitor came to life, lighting up their surroundings. Oliver blinked a few times, his eyes hurting from the brightness. He covered his eyes as he moved back, reaching for his bow at the same time as Diggle came to stand by his side, gun aimed at the monitor for some reason.

" _It's called dramatic effect, Mr. Diggle._ "

The words that were written across the monitor made something inside of Oliver burn. They had been compromised- Or at least Diggle had. Whoever it was that had written the words as a reply to Diggle's earlier comment, hadn't yet mentioned Oliver, so perhaps his secret was safe at least.

The words on the monitor backspaced, erasing themselves as new words appeared.

" _Good evening, Mr. Queen, or do you prefer being called The Hood?_ "

Yeah, they had definitively been compromised.

" _Why don't you speak up, now that you know that I can hear you?_ "

For some reason, Oliver couldn't help but read the text in a teasing tone. It was clear that he was being mocked.

"Who are you?" Oliver spoke, looking around the lair for anything that might look like a bug.

" _Not important_ ," the person on the other end wrote. " _And there's no point in looking for a bug, because there isn't one._ "

"Then how the hell can you, whoever you are, hear us?" Diggle asked angrily.

" _Not important,_ " was written again. " _What is important however, is that you find Felicity Smoak._ "

Oliver's gut tightened as he read the name that had been sent to him over twenty times that morning. "Are you the person who texted me this morning?" he practically growled.

" _No need to get upset, Mr. Queen,_ " the person wrote. " _But yes._ "

Oliver paused, looking over at Diggle, who slowly lowered his gun from the monitor. It was clear that there was a threat in the lair, despite there  _technically_  not being a threat  _inside_  the lair. There was no point in having a gun pointed at a piece of equipment.

" _Now,_ _on the topic of Felicity Smoak-_ "

"Who is she?" Oliver asked out loud, his eyes narrowing at the monitor.

The typing stopped briefly and the cursor blinked for what seemed like ages, until the letters started appearing again.

" _Felicity Smoak is a rogue hybrid._ _She left her master approximately three months ago and has managed to stay under the radar ever since. Find her._ "

That familiar anger boiled inside of Oliver. Who the hell did this person think he or she was?

"I don't take orders from anyone!" he bellowed, his angry voice echoing through the Foundry. He felt Diggle shift from behind him, taking a step toward him as if showing him that he had his back, whatever his choice of action was.

" _It's important that you find her,_ " the stubborn person wrote as a reply. " _Just find her_."

The three last words blinked a couple of times before the monitor turned off again, letting darkness fall over them once more. Oliver tried to draw in calming breaths through his nose, but every nerve on his body felt as if it was on fire. Someone out there knew his secret identity. Someone out there had easily hacked into their lair mainframe, which was supposed to be secure.

Oliver thought about what options he had now. He could either sit down by the computer with Diggle and try to trace back the signal that had broken through their firewalls, or he could set out in the night to look for the girl- who he now knew was one of  _them_ , the People of Darkness.

Felicity Smoak, the apparently newly turned hybrid, was now officially his new mission.

Oliver walked over to the case where his leather suit and hood hung as he began pulling out the clothes.

"Where are you going?" Diggle asked.

Oliver looked up at him as he picked up his container of green camouflage grease. "Isn't it obvious?" he retorted as he stood in front of the mirror and quickly applied the make-shift mask around his eyes.

"You can't seriously be going after this girl, can you?" Diggle hissed, taking a few steps closer to him.

" _Hybrid_ , Diggle," Oliver corrected. "The girl is a hybrid, which means she is one of  _them_ , which means I have to eliminate her."

"But you know nothing about this girl except for what some mystery person who hacked our system told you," Diggle pointed out. "There's no way knowing if any of that is true!"

"I can't take that chance, Dig," Oliver said, pulling on his hood. "If Felicity Smoak turns out to be a human, I'll leave her alone, but if what anything that person told us is true, she won't be getting away from me. It doesn't matter who hacked our mainframe; if she  _is_  a hybrid, I will take her off the streets as soon as I find her."

Diggle sighed deeply, but Oliver could tell that he was giving up. There was no getting through to Oliver once his mind was set on a new target.

"I know the name of one of the Dark Ones, Dig," Oliver declared. "I won't be missing the opportunity to find her and take her out."

"Despite not knowing all the facts," Diggle surmised.

Oliver replied with a curt nod, pulling his hood over his head.

"Felicity Smoak," Oliver whispered as he grabbed his bow tightly, his brain already memorizing the name for him. With one last glance at Diggle, who sent him a wary look, he bolted up the stairs of the Foundry and set out in the night.


	2. The Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's search for the mysterious Ms. Smoak takes him to Black Rose, a nightclub in the Glades, owned and controlled by the People of Darkness...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! As I promised, here is the next chapter of Hunted!  
> Please enjoy this (hopefully) action filled chapter! ;)

**"Hunted"**

**Chapter 2: The Alley**

Running over roof-tops was something that Oliver had become accustomed to since his return from Lian Yu.

The purgatory that he had spent five years in had been more like a  _hell_  than anything else. He could still recall the day he had reached the Island and buried his father who had shot himself in order for his son to have a better chance at survival. Robert Queen had most likely not even stopped a second to consider what psychological effects his suicide might have on his son, who was forced to witness it all. Not only had Robert killed himself, but a few seconds before doing so, he had also murdered a man in cold blood in front of Oliver, all to assure that Oliver would be the last man alive on the little lifeboat that they had pulled themselves up on.

Oliver would never forget that first day on the island, when he had stood up after finishing putting the last stone on his father's grave, and the raging pain he had felt, when an arrow pierced him from the back of his shoulder. The arrow had been shot by Yao Fei, who later, after revealing that he indeed did know a little English, explained to him that he had thought that Oliver was one of  _them_.

Of course, when Oliver had asked for an explanation as to who exactly "them" were, he had figured that Yao Fei must be a madman for believing in creatures like vampires and werewolves.

" _You have not seen the darkness that is Lian Yu yet,_ " Yao Fei had insisted. " _We stay in this cave until daylight breaks. Too dangerous outside._ "

Oliver shuddered, remembering his fallen mentor's words, before jumping down on the metallic stairs of the emergency escape, climbing down. There was one particular place he had in mind tonight when he had set out on his mission. There was one place in the Glades that was particularly infested with the People of Darkness. It was a club, called  _Black Rose_ , and Oliver had been keeping an eye on it for quite some time. He knew that civilians sometimes wandered in there, not knowing what dangers the club actually held, but there was no way for him to make his way inside and put down all the creatures that spent their time there; especially not alone. So, the Black Rose was the only place where he didn't actually attack the People of Darkness, mostly because of the previously mentioned reason, but also because he preferred to take them down in a place where he could actually dispose of them without drawing too much attention. Killings in a nightclub would most likely draw the attention of the media, and that was the last thing he wanted. Keeping the people of this city safe depended on them not knowing the truth about the People of Darkness, and he had made his father a promise that he would rid the city of the people who corrupted it, which included the supernatural monsters that prowled the streets at night.

As he crouched down on the stairs, looking across the street at the entrance of the club that was lit up by neon lights, he turned on the comm-link in his ear.

"Diggle," he addressed the older man before waiting on a reply.

" _Oliver_." The response was curt and straight to the point, telling him by the tone used that he was there to have his back, despite not liking the plan he had made up.

"Can you please look at the security cameras by the entrance of Black Rose? I need to know what the security is like," he mumbled, his voice low because one could never know who was listening in on the conversation.

" _Black Rose, the club? The one that most Nightcrawlers spend their time in? Are you out of your mind?_ " Diggle asked, his voice raised.

"If I'm going to find Felicity Smoak, that is the best place to ask around," Oliver explained calmly.

" _Yeah, sure. It's also the best place to get your head ripped off because of your status as enemy number one!_ " Diggle protested.

Oliver closed his eyes and pinched the brig of his nose. "Just tell me what you see, Dig."

On the other line of the comm, Diggle huffed, but Oliver would hear his fingers clattering across the keyboard. " _It seems like there are two guards at the front entrance and two in the back. There are no cameras inside that I can get to, so there's no way to know what you'll see when you walk in,_ " Diggle informed him.

"The bouncers, what are they?" Oliver wondered.

" _From the way their eyes seem to be glowing, I'd say werewolves,_ " Diggle commented.

Oliver looked up from his place, at the moon that was only half full. "In that case, I'm going in through the back," he said. "It's not a full moon, so they don't have their full strength. I'll knock them out and then see what I can do once I get inside."

" _Oliver, there's no way knowing what you'll walk into,_ " Diggle reminded him. " _If I were you, I'd just come back to the lair and work out another plan. A_ better _plan._ "

A smirk tugged at Oliver's lips as he stood up, climbing the stairs up to the roof again. He stood by the edge of the building and took out the zip-line-arrow, knocking it on the bow before sending it flying across the street. "I appreciate your concern for me, Dig, but trust me when I tell you I'll be coming out alive of that club tonight," he confidently said. "If something goes wrong, I'll get the hell out of there as soon as possible. Disable the cameras in the back, and I'll get back to you once I'm inside."

"A _lready done._ _I'll be in your ear if you need me_ ," Diggle said, not sounding fully convinced, before cutting the link off. With that, Oliver secured the zip-line on his side before crossing over to the other side of the street. When he dropped down on top of the club, he looked around to make sure there weren't any cameras. Of course, considering what kind of monsters that owned the club, there weren't. They didn't want anything recording them if they ever mauled an innocent inside the club and merely that thought made Oliver's blood run ice cold.

He remembered the first time he had actually seen a vampire. He had been foolish, not listening to Yao Fei's instructions to stay inside of the safe cave. Instead, he had gone out around midnight after Yao Fei had fallen asleep. He had been surprised that he'd managed to sneak out, but the older man had clearly been tired after a long day of hunting. Oliver had walked around aimlessly in the dark, until he had reached a clearing. Just as he had been about to bend down to drink some fresh water, he had heard a growling sound across the river. Looking up, he had been shocked to see a pair of red eyes looking back at him. He had moved back slowly at first before quickly scrambling back onto his feet as he turned to run back into the forest. A snarling sound could be heard behind him and he could hear branches and twigs breaking as whatever it was followed him into woods. He had tried hard not to look back, but next thing he knew, he found himself on the ground. A root had tripped him, and he rolled onto his back just in time to see a man, not much older than him  _pouncing_ at him. The man's red eyes glistened in the moonlight and the his exposed teeth, which were far too sharp to be called teeth, were already covered in blood.  _Fangs_ , had been Oliver's first thought and suddenly, Yao Fei's warnings came back to him. He had reacted purely on the little amount of instinct he seemed to have, his hand moving around the ground for anything to use as a weapon. A small wooden stick proved to be rather effective, when he had plunged it into the monster's abdomen right as it had jumped on top of him. The creature had hissed and stepped back, the piece of wood sticking out of it's stomach as it's own blood colored the shirt it was wearing. It had pulled the stick out and snarled at Oliver, before moving forward again, but luckily, Yao Fei had found him in that moment and put a wooden stake through the creature's heart.

Oliver remembered how the vampire's skin had shriveled up and turned ashen, red eyes glazing over and becoming green, almost human. But it hadn't been a human, and Oliver had killed enough Nightcrawlers since then to know that. This wasn't the time to reminisce on what he had done on that damned island. He had a mission that he wanted to finish, preferably before the end of the night.

He stalked toward the back of the building and looked down. Just as Diggle had informed him, two guards stood below him, dressed in black suits and hands crossed over their chest. They were both big, bigger than him and for a brief second, Oliver wondered whether he would be able to knock them out stealthily. He shook his head at himself; this was no time for self-doubt. He knew he could do this, because he had taken down bigger enemies since his return to Starling City.

He took out two syringe-arrows from his quiver and looked at the purple liquid that was inside of them. The wolfsbane was highly concentrated and would most likely knock out the werewolves that were guarding the door. He took a small breath before standing on the edge of the building, aiming at the two creatures below. As one of the arrows cut through the air and hit it's target in the shoulder, Oliver quickly nocked the other arrow and sent it flying, just as the other bouncer turned to look up at him. The wolfsbane incapacitated the second monster as well and he dropped to the ground. Oliver smirked to himself, jumping down to stand in front of the doors. He prepared for the worst, nocking yet another arrow, before stepping inside.

The music was muffled as he stepped inside the dark hallway. There was no sign of any other guard close by as he made his way through the narrow pathway. By the end of the hall flashing lights could be seen. He walked closer to the source of light and finally, he stood in front of a big window. Down below, the strobe lights were flashing in every color he knew, the bass vibrated against the window and the music was a lot louder than earlier. People were dancing, grinding against each other with the rhythm of the music and anger surged through Oliver as he saw a creature with glowing yellow eyes sinking it's fangs into a girl's neck. He was itching to find a way downstairs, just to put an arrow through the creatures throat, but he had to find the people he had come looking for initially.

He turned on the comm again, "Diggle. I'm inside. Can you find the blueprints and look up the main office? I'm directly above the club, on the second floor."

Static was heard on the other line briefly, before Diggle picked up his own comm. " _I have the blueprints up already because I knew you would get lost in there,_ " his friend said, amusement in his tone. " _What do you see?_ "

"It's a big window with a view of the dance floor below," Oliver informed.

" _Okay, I see,_ " Diggle said, typing something down. " _If you keep walking right ahead, the hallway will split in two. Go right, then keep walking until you reach the end of that hallway, and then go left. The main office should be at the end of that hallway._ "

"Right, then left then straight ahead," Oliver repeated. "Copy that."

" _Be careful, Oliver._ "

"Aren't I always?" He cut the connection again and followed Diggle's instructions, making sure to walk quickly but quietly. Before rounding the corners, he looked around to make sure there weren't any surprises waiting on him, but he managed to reach his destination without experiencing any problems. That fact made him uneasy, because a club like the Black Rose, should have had more security, especially this close to the main office. Taking this into consideration, Oliver kicked open the big door and held up his bow, aiming it at the head of the person that was sitting behind the desk, caught up in paper work, it seemed.

The person slowly lifted his head, eyes flashing with that familiar supernatural glow before an amused smirk crossed his face.

"Mr. Hood," the man, who looked like he was in his late thirties acknowledged. "I was not expecting a visit from you tonight."

Oliver turned on his voice-distorter and held his aimed bow in place. "Mr. Bertinelli," he bellowed. "If you play nice, I won't be putting this arrow in you tonight."

In Starling City, Frank Bertinelli was known as a reformed crime lord. The man had once used his power to bring the weaker ones on their knees by making them addicted to drugs and supplying them with pills. He had made a fortune on using the poor, but when it came down to pinning him for the crimes he committed, there was no one who dared to go up and testify against him. During Oliver's time on the island, Bertinelli seemed to have left the drug business behind, only to enter a world of even greater darkness. He had been approached by the People of Darkness and after a lot of negotiating on his behalf, he had managed to convince a vampire to turn him. Frank was obsessed with power and wanted to have control over the Dark Ones, but he realized soon that it wasn't in the Nightcrawler's nature to be submissive. Eventually, he had settled for starting club Black Rose, as a sort of safe haven for the Dark Ones, where they could come and enjoy themselves because the police still didn't dare cross him, despite not knowing what kind of monster he had really become.

Mr. Bertinelli's eyes flashed once more. "To what do I have the honor of a visit by the city's very own Hunter?" he mused. "I haven't left this office for a week, so I haven't been out killing humans, if that is why you're here."

"Where can I find Felicity Smoak?" Oliver asked, ignoring the vampire's quip.

"Felicity Smoak?" the vampire frowned. "What makes you think that I know anything about  _Ms. Smoak_?"

"You own the Black Rose," Oliver replied. "You hear everything that is said downstairs and you have an eye on almost every supernatural creature in this town. Now, where can I find Ms. Smoak?"

The vampire seemed insistent to pretend that he knew of nothing of what Oliver was talking about. Annoyance filled Oliver and he released the arrow, sending it straight into the computer monitor which sent sparks flying everywhere. Mr. Bertinelli winced, rolling back with his chair, away from the bright light as Oliver nocked another arrow. "I won't ask you again," he growled.

Mr. Bertinelli watched him curiously as a smirk slowly made it's way up his face. "Very well, if you insist." He stood up from his chair, holding both his hands up in surrender. "Normally, I protect the people who come into my club, but I'll make an exception for you,  _this_ time." He watched the Hunter almost expectantly, but when the man in the green hood didn't make any move to lower his bow, he sighed loudly and continued, "Ms. Smoak used to be a frequent visitor here up until a couple of months ago. I've heard that the young hybrid has gone rogue and left her master, which isn't easily done. Her former pack-members are looking for her and drop by the club from time to time, hoping they'll catch her scent."

"Why are they looking for her?"

"Why are  _you_  looking for her?" The vampire's eyes glowed again with amusement. "What has the poor girl to anger the Hunter, besides being a hybrid of course?"

"None of your business," Oliver said. "Now, tell me where I can find her and I'll be on my way."

"I told you already," Frank snapped. "I haven't seen nor heard from Ms. Smoak in over three months. If the girl was lucky, she got away and is on the other side of the Earth by now, if not, her pack has caught up with her and torn her apart."

Oliver was glad that the hood covered up half his face, because he wasn't exactly sure what emotions his eyes were conveying at the moment. His brain played him a short film of savage animals tearing into the blonde that he had seen earlier on the picture in his lair. The fact that it made him uneasy to think of her being torn to shreds wasn't something he wanted to think about at the moment, because quite frankly, it didn't make much sense to him. Never, in the seven years that he had known about the People of Darkness, had he ever felt  _pity_ for them, and he wasn't about to start now either.

"You told me her pack-members still come in here looking for her," Oliver said, making Frank smirk again.

"Quite perceptive, aren't you, Hunter?" he mocked. "Yes indeed. They have been here and asked around for her."

"Which means that they probably haven't found her yet," Oliver pointed out.

"Yes, yes... Now, do tell how the little blonde caught  _your_  attention," Bertinelli mused.

"You are to no help for me, Mr. Bertinelli," Oliver said, aiming the arrow with the wooden head at the vampire's chest. "That means that this doesn't end well for you."

"I beg to differ," Bertinelli replied calmly, a grin slowly spreading across his face. Something was off. Goosebumps formed on Oliver's flesh underneath the leather suit and when the door behind him slammed open, he instantly turned around, shooting an arrow at the werewolf that had entered the room. Of curse, the wood would only inflict pain, not kill it. "You should have disabled the cameras, Mr. Hood," Bertinelli laughed. "Or at least made sure that the cameras wouldn't restart themselves the second they were disabled."

So that was why there hadn't been any guards anywhere. Bertinelli must have called them away, knowing that something was wrong.

Werewolves ran inside the office through the door that had been swung open and Oliver knew that he needed to get out of there. One werewolf lunged itself at him with it's fist, but Oliver blocked it before stabbing it with a wolfsbane-dart in it's neck. He needed to remind himself to thank Diggle for ordering him to have those at him at all times- If he managed to get out of the club alive, that is.

The only good thing about Bertinelli was that he only used werewolves as guards. Oliver supposed it had something to do with them being 'dogs' and that the thought amused the vampire in charge somehow. Also, in the world of the Dark Ones, werewolves were considered to be a little lower on the social ladder. That was until they were turned into hybrids, which were a rare species. Those were at the top of the pyramid and they were the ones that Oliver himself knew the least of. On the Island, he had mostly encountered werewolves and vampires, which were the more common species, but he had taken down a shapeshifter or two as well. The monsters all had their own weaknesses, and Oliver had trained and studies hard so that he would be prepared for any kind of monster that was thrown his way.

He knocked out the other two werewolves that blocked his way and ran out in the hallway, but not before shooting a warning shot at Bertinelli himself. The vampire only laughed, which angered Oliver further. He wanted to put a stake through the monster's heart, but right now, he needed to get out.

"Dig, I'm in trouble," he said as he activated the comm-link.

" _Get the hell out of there, Oliver,_ " Diggle's voice sounded.

"I'm  _trying_ ," Oliver hissed, firing two arrows at a lone werewolf that had stepped into his way.

Good thing that it wasn't a full moon, he thought to himself as he managed to run outside in the night. He could hear the wolves running after him though, their footsteps loud and heavy.

Oliver ran as quickly as his feet could carry him, climbing metal fences to make it more difficult for the bulky wolves to follow him. There were at least three of them, following him. He tried to mind his surroundings, but he was concentrating so hard on getting away from them, that he miscalculated and stepped into the wrong alley. He found himself facing a brick wall and he looked up, wondering whether his zip-line-gun would be useful. The conclusion was that it would help anything, because the roof was too high.

Instead, he turned around and faced the- he counted them, mentally sizing them up-  _five_  wolves that had stopped a few meters away from him, grinning widely at him.

"Nowhere to run, Hunter," one of them growled at him. His yellowed eyes flashed in the darkness and the other four laughed.

Oliver aimed his bow at them. "Scurry back to your club, or else you'll regret it," he threatened, despite knowing that he was outnumbered.

"What do you say boys? Should we rid the city of it's Savior?" the same wolf asked. The others nodded their heads enthusiastically, making Oliver sick. He wanted to kill them all, but there was absolutely no way that he would be able to fight them all off. He was running out of arrows and there was no way out of the alley besides the one they were blocking.

Then, one of the wolves howled out in pain, falling to ground, eyes wide. The other four looked around, just as a flash of pink flew past them in the alley. Another wolf ended up on his knees, knocked out, which made other three concentrate even more on finding the source of the pink flash. Oliver took his chance and shot an arrow through the heart of one of them and he fell, dead, instantly. The blur returned and this time, Oliver clearly saw a flash of blonde hair as well. Whatever it was, it was supernatural. The speed at which the blur moved was inhuman, but right this moment, Oliver needed to concentrate on taking out the wolves that had been set on killing him, before deciding on how to act with the monster that seemed to be helping him.

He watched as the monster fought the two wolves at the same time. It was a lot faster than them and clearly stronger too. Before he knew it, the last two wolves were laying on the ground, knocked out, but not dead. Oliver didn't even hesitate to put and arrow through each and every one of them, killing them so that they would never hunt humans again. Then, he turned to face the remaining Dark One.

It was a female. She wasn't very tall, but her legs were slim and she had quite a petite form. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a hot pink tank top and a black jacket, paired with black boots. The monster was panting a little, almost as if it was out of breath as he met her eyes.

The azure irises flashed yellow and she grinned, her fangs that had been out just a second before retracting into her gums. It didn't take Oliver long to recognize the signs of a hybrid and it most certainly didn't take long to recognize the face that he had seen earlier tonight in the lair.

"Wow, that was a close one, wasn't it?" said Felicity Smoak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in comes Felicity Smoak, all mysteriously wonderful and kickass, saving the Hood from the big bad wolves!
> 
> What did you think of it so far? Tell me if there's anything you didn't get completely and I'll try to explain it to you and also, please do tell me what you think is going to happen next! ;)
> 
> Thank you for reading and remember that comments are always welcome here! =)
> 
> Lots of love xx


	3. The Hybrid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver comes face to face with Felicity Smoak, the hybrid he has been sent out to find for still unknown reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps! I'm back with another chapter of Hunted! =) I've been thinking a lot about this fic lately, especially since I've finished writing Alternate and I have to admit that in the beginning, I was a little uncertain on how the feedback would be. I didn't have a plan at first, but now that I've actually sat down to make one, I've realized that this story will most likely get over 30 chapters, if things go as they are supposed to. I have it planned out now, but since my plans usually change depending on what you guys think, I think it's safe to say that nothing is set in stone yet, but that I'll enjoy the ride! ^^
> 
> Now, thank you to all of you who have shown support by reviewing! It's always wonderful to know that people read the things I write =)
> 
> Now, please enjoy! =)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 3: The Hybrid**

* * *

 

Oliver reached back into his quiver and retrieved the last arrow he had left. It was a fairly simple one, with a silver head, that he wasn't even sure would work on a hybrid.

"Felicity Smoak," he said, his voice disoriented by the device he used. "I have been looking for you."

The hybrid looked at him as if she was amused by his actions. "I suggest you save that arrow and take out the ones that you put in those wolves," she told him, pointing at the dead Dark Ones on the ground. "You might need them if we come across more of them and silver isn't very useful on us hybrids."

"In that case, will you please inform me what I have to do to kill you, Ms. Smoak," Oliver retorted, sarcastically polite.

"We should get out of here, Mr. Arrow," Felicity replied, ignoring his quip. "There are more wolves coming and we have to get them off of our scent if we are going to get back to your lair."

"You won't be stepping anywhere near my lair," Oliver snapped.

Felicity tilted her head and watching him with an 'are-you-kidding-me'-expression. His fingers were tingling to release the arrow he still held aimed at her, but something was holding him back. Diggle's words to him before he had stepped out of the Foundry held some truth. He  _didn't_  know anything about Felicity Smoak, except for the fact that she was a hybrid from Las Vegas. Someone had gone through  _a lot_ to get her name to him and to make him hunt her and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't the least bit curious to know why.

He wanted to know, but he also wanted to kill her.

What a dilemma.

"Oh please," Felicity scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you really think you could stop me from following you somehow? You just gave away that you didn't know how to kill a hybrid, and we  _really_  need to get out of here," she said, looking around as she inhaled through her nose. "There are at least six more wolves coming our way." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, round object. Throwing it on the ground, smoke exploded around them and Oliver watched her as she held her nose. "It's wolfs-mist," she explained, still pinching her nose. "Water mixed with wolfsbane and then evaporated before being contained in these thin plastic containers that break easily if thrown. They should hide our smell."

"Where did you get them?" Oliver wanted to know.

"I made them," she told him. "Now get moving!" She ran at him with such speed that he didn't even see her coming. The next thing he knew, she had grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled at him to follow her. Her tiny hands clasped his bicep and he decided that he could kill her later,  _after_  they get out of the alley.

So, he allowed her to lead the way and he followed her as she zig-zagged her way through the dark streets. He tried desperately to ignore the burning feeling of her hand wrapped around his own, and truthfully, he decided to blame the burn on his body itching to put his arrow into her...

His mind froze over for a second and he almost shook his head at the internal innuendo that he had never meant to think. She was a hybrid, a monster and he  _most certainly_  did  _not_ want to put his arrow  _anywhere_ near her.

He was treading into dangerous waters with this train of thoughts but luckily, he was brought out of them when she suddenly came to an abrupt stop. He stood behind her, but he could clearly see the three figures that stood in front of them.

"Felicity," a woman said, eyes sparkling blue. "We've been looking for you."

The hybrid squeezed his hand tighter as a response and he realized that he was close enough to feel her tense at the voice.

"Ashley," Felicity replied curtly.

The other woman grinned, showing off glistening fangs.

 _Vampire_ , Oliver realized.

"The Master has had all of us looking for you," the vampire- Ashley- said. "He wasn't happy when he found out that one of you had escaped."

"I'm sure I'm not the first one," Felicity retorted and Oliver found himself curious to know what they were talking about.

"Newly turned hybrids are supposed to be more loyal to their Sires," Ashley said. "They aren't supposed to run away the second the opportunity presents itself."

Oliver's eyes flickered to the back of Felicity's head, now understanding a little more than before. She had run away from her Sire... From the little things he had learned about hybrids, he knew that was one of the hardest things that particular type of monster could do.

When hybrids were turned, they usually felt a desperate need to serve the monster that had turned them. Oliver figured it had something to do with a blood bond, but he hadn't exactly had a long talk with a monster so he could get the 101 on these things. Usually, he picked up on things when he overheard them talking to each other, like now, or he was taught by more experienced hunters, such as Yao Fei.

"I don't have a  _Sire_ ," Felicity hissed, letting go of his hand. She took a stand, readying herself to attack. Ashley stood calmly while the other two monsters- also vampires it seemed- prepared themselves for a fight.

"The Master is our Sire," Ashley calmly replied. "Or at least he is yours. I'm not a  _dog_ , so I stay of my own choice."

"Or  _fear_ ," Felicity snarled. "I can smell it all around you, Ashley. You're afraid of what he's capable of and despite that you have never even  _met_ him, you're scared of what he'll do if you left. You're seeing me as an experiment, because you wonder what he'll do to me when he has me in his clutches again!"

Oliver didn't even have time to blink before the hybrid ran forward, grabbing the vampire by the throat. The only thing he knew was that he had felt the anger radiating off of her before she had pounced and he reacted as quickly as he could, nocking arrows, sending them flying at the other two vampires, killing them instantly.

"Of course you're an experiment, Smoak," the vampire mocked. "Just like every other hybrid turned! Problem is that all the others immediately developed the bond while you rejected it. Why is that?"

"It's  _my life_ ," Felicity growled, holding the vampire up against a brick wall. "It's  _my_   _choice_."

"Except that it isn't," Ashley replied. "You fooled us pretty good at first. We didn't actually suspect anything until you ran away. Then it all made sense..."

"It's a good thing you were easy to trick," Felicity said.

"But of course, you didn't take it into calculation that you left some people behind," Ashley grinned.

Oliver watched as Felicity froze. The vampire remained grinning and then used the loss of focus to its advantage. Felicity was on her back on the cold concrete so fast that Oliver didn't have time to move.

"Yeah," Ashley said, almost as if she was confirming the thoughts that Felicity had been having. Vampires weren't mind readers, but Oliver could tell that Ashley's words had struck a cord with Felicity. "We have leverage over you. So if you kindly help me kill the Hunter, we can ignore that he killed Johnson and Adams to protect you."

At the mention of his moniker, Oliver woke from the daze. "I didn't kill them to protect her," he spat. He glanced down at Felicity who had snapped her head to the side to look at him. She was eying him as if she had completely forgotten that he was there.

"Sure looked like you had her back," Ashley acknowledged before turning back to Felicity. "Come on Smoak. You're used to betraying the people who trust you. Let's kill him."

"It was never about trust," Felicity said. "It was all about  _obedience_." She glanced at Oliver again and then moved. The vampire was thrown off of her and Oliver released an arrow which embedded itself into her chest, just a little to the side of her heart.

Ashley gasped, falling to her knees, clutching the arrow as Oliver stalked up to her slowly. He knelt down in front of her and grabbed a hold of the arrow with the wooden tip that was only nicking her heart. He lowered himself so that he could whisper into her ear.

"You should have thought twice before getting in my way," he said, twisting the arrow, swiftly piercing the heart of the monster.

He leaned back, watching the vampire turn older in front of him before her skin shriveled up and turned gray.

"Lamia," Felicity spoke up behind him. "Ashley was a lamia vampire."

Oliver pulled the arrow out and cleaned it against Ashley's shirt before putting it back in his quiver. He turned to face the hybrid again and met her eyes.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked her, honestly not sure himself to what the answer to that question was. He knew what it  _should_  be, but that didn't change the fact that he just couldn't seem to stop his curiosity of getting the better of him. Some of the things that the vampire who was now laying dead at his feet had said tonight, intrigued him. If Felicity truly had broken free from her Sire-bond, he wanted to know how it was possible for her to do so. The ferocity in her tone when she had told Ashley that it was "her life, her choice" had roused some strange feeling in his chest that he didn't know what to call.

"What  _are_  you going to do with me?" Felicity repeated back, a playful smile on her lips. "I am well aware of what you  _want_ to do with me... Or rather  _to_  me, since I don't think that you want to be doing anything _with_ me," she rambled, but her straight posture remained. Momentarily, his mind once again drifted to the thoughts he had had a little earlier, about putting an arrow into her...

Hybrids weren't mind readers though, were they? Oliver still felt as if Felicity could see right through him for some reason.

She held up one of her hands, still looking playful, "I vote for you taking me back to that secret lair of yours so that we can talk in private."

"You don't get a vote," Oliver told her, but his bow remained lowered. If she had wanted to hurt him, she would have by now. Maybe it was better to earn her trust and then stab her in the back?

"Oh, I think I should," Felicity said. "I saved your life when I didn't have to, after all."

"I saved yours too," Oliver countered. His own statement annoyed the hell out of him.

" _No_ ," Felicity drawled. "You merely calculated the risks and decided that it was better to be on my side, at least temporarily. I bet you're already thinking about how you're going to get close enough to stab me in the back."

_Damn her._

She must have seen something in his face that gave away the fact that she was right, because a wide grin spread across her face. "Come on, Oliver. What do you take me for?"

It took him a moment to realize what she had said. When it did, his hand flew to his bow immediately, but she was in front of him less than a millisecond before he could even reach for an arrow. Her hands wrapped around his wrists, one on the one that had been raised to retrieve the arrow and the other on his bow that was half raised. Her tight grip and sudden close proximity held him in place. He could feel her breath against his face as he glared down at her, his gaze drilling straight into hers.

The intensity of her baby-blue irises struck him but he held his ground. "I don't know what you're talking about," he began, his voice-modulator still working. What had he done to reveal his identity? How did she know?

"Let's be honest with each other, Mr. Queen," she continued, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. He did  _not_  know this purely because he had been staring down at her lips, although, he was thankful for the hood covering the upper half of his face.

He contemplated his options, but knew that he didn't have much of a choice. He slowly relaxed and she smiled at him, removing her hands from him just as slow.

"Now that we've established that I already know who you are," she waved around a bit, "can you please turn off that voice-distorter? It's freaking me out."

Wordlessly, he pressed the button on his belt, but remained glaring at her. "How did you know?" he asked her, not taking a step back just yet. He figured that it was still worth a shot to try and intimidate her, even though she had made it clear that she wasn't scared of him.

"I'm not your typical kind of girl, Mr. Queen," she said.

"No, you're not," Oliver agreed. "You're a  _monster._ "

"Ouch," she said, putting her hand over her heart. "You wound me," she sarcastically remarked, but Oliver didn't fail to notice that hurt actually  _did_  flash through her eyes. Perhaps she wasn't as good as she thought when it came to playing indifferent.

She shot him another look. "Will you be taking me to the lair then, or do you want me to just go ahead and find it myself? Because I can promise you that it won't be as difficult as you seem to think it will be."

"You're  _not_  coming with me," Oliver ground out through gritted teeth. Then, there was static in his ear and Oliver knew that Diggle had been listening in on the conversation over the comms. The fact that his friend only let the silence hang, he knew what he was saying. "No!" Oliver protested.

Diggle didn't reply, but Oliver just  _knew_  what he was thinking. "No! She's not coming with me to the lair!"

" _Oliver_ ," Diggle finally sighed. " _She already knows your identity,_ " he pointed out. " _What difference does it make now?_ "

Oliver took a few steps back from Felicity and turned his back to her, whispering furiously at the older man in his ear. "It makes a difference because I don't trust her! She's one of them and she might be trying to trick us so that she can infiltrate the Foundry!"

" _She saved your life, Oliver_ ," Diggle said. " _From what I've heard so far, it sounds like she has earned some of our trust... If she turns on us, there will be two of us and one of her. We'll be able to take her down_."

Oliver was about to protest again when the clearing of a throat behind him stopped him. He turned to face the blonde again.

"You do know that I can hear you guys, right?" Felicity asked, shifting on her feet, looking uncomfortable for the first time in a while. "Super-hearing?" she reminded them and Oliver mentally slapped himself for being so distracted and stupid. "Yeah, that's totally a thing," she nodded as she saw the realization on his face. "I appreciate the fact that you've decided to give me a chance, Mr. Diggle, no matter how small it is."

"Dig," Oliver groaned. "We've been compromised-"

"Oh  _please_ ," Felicity scoffed. "I knew about Mr. Diggle before you decided to speak to him over that nifty little communication device."

Oliver shot her a suspicious glare. "Really?" he questioned skeptically. Of course, since he knew that she had known about his own identity, it made sense that she had somehow known about Diggle too. The hybrid seemed to know way too much about their secret operation.

"Of course I did," Felicity rolled her eyes. "How else do you think I knew who to send that message to?"

Once again, silence fell between them.

It made a lot more sense now; the way she had magically appeared when all hope seemed lost, how she had known where to find him... She had been following him because she had been keeping an eye on  _him_  while he was looking for  _her_ , because she knew that he would be looking for her.  _She_ had been the one to send him the message.  _She_ had been the one who wanted him to find her.

But  _why_?

Why risk her own life, knowing that he was a hunter, only so that she could meet him?

" _Oliver_ ," Diggle spoke up in his ear. " _Bring her to the Foundry_."

There wasn't a question that Diggle was right. This new revelation that Felicity had wanted him to find her raised a lot of questions that he needed the answer to before he could decide what to do next.

Without another word, he raised his hand and pulled back his hood. He allowed her to see his face for the first time as a sign of his resignation.

The smile that spread across her face, told him that she knew that he had given in.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooh! Some of you might have called it, but YES, Felicity is the one who sent the mysterious messages! Why would she do that? Why would she want the Hunter after herself? What do you guys think? ;)
> 
> Oh, also, I've forgotten to mention that the first four chapters of this story all take place in the span of 24 hours. Then, we'll be making jumps ahead in time as relationships develop and the plot goes forward! ^^
> 
> And I've been debating on which day to post this story, and right now, I'm thinking Fridays would be good... (I know it's Thursday, guys.) What do you think? From now on, I'll either post new chapters on Fridays OR, if you want, I can post them on Wednesdays, like I did with Crumbled Papers (if you read that one)? Tell me what you'd like!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and please don't forget that feedback is always welcome! =)


	4. The Foundry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver brings Felicity back to the Foundry and an argument ensues between him and his partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back again with another chapter of Hunted! =) Now that I'm all done with Alternate, I'll be able to focus on this story! ^^ Of course though, school is still a priority so from time to time, I won't have time to write... Like now, I have a HUGE exam next week on Wednesday, so after I post this, I'll have to start studying!
> 
> I made a decision when it comes to posting! Since most of you wanted me to post on Wednesdays, I've decided to post Fridays for two more weeks and then when Arrow starts, I'll start posting on Wednesdays, as requested! =)
> 
> Now, please enjoy this chapter! Remember, this still takes place during the same night as the previous three! After this chapter, we'll start jumping in time! ;)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 4: The Foundry**

* * *

 

Oliver was determinedly walking in front of Felicity as he led her back toward the lair. After she had revealed that she had been the one to send him all those messages earlier that day, Oliver had known that there wasn't a choice to make anymore. Diggle had confirmed it by basically ordering Oliver to bring her to the Foundry. Of course, Oliver had never really enjoyed being ordered around, but he knew that there wasn't a question about bringing her back with him.

What annoyed him the most however, was that smile that adorned her face.

Ever since he had growled out a, "Follow me," she hadn't let the smile drop from her face. The worst thing about it though, was that it wasn't a mocking smile, but a genuine one. She was genuinely happy that he had decided to bring her back with him.

They didn't speak to each other as they walked through the streets. At least not until they reached his motorcycle that he had parked at a safe distance from the Black Rose.

"Get on," he told her and she didn't protest at first, despite the small flash of worry that appeared on her face.

"Actually, I think I'd rather follow you on foot," she retorted, biting her lip.

"Try keeping up," he said, not wanting her anywhere near him anyway. Things were confusing as they were and the last thing he needed was to be forced into close proximity of her.

"Don't worry about me, Oliver," she grinned, taking a step back as her eyes flashed yellow.

He wanted to make a comeback at her with some witty comment on how he would never in his life worry about her, but decided not to speak at all. Instead, he hit the gas pedal and sped out on the streets. They needed to get back to the Foundry before the sun went up. He couldn't be seen in his hood during the day and he still didn't know what effects the sun had on hybrids.

Turning his head back, he tried to see where the hybrid had gone, but there was no sign of her anywhere. He knew he was being followed though, so he didn't slow down. There was just something inside of him that told him that she had her eyes on him and that she would find her way to Verdant even if he tried to shake her off.

When he finally arrived in the back alley of Verdant and hid his bike, there was a small tap on his shoulder. He instantly turned around, pinning her to the opposite wall, arrow head at her throat.

"Hello to you too," Felicity grinned down at him. "Would you mind letting go? I think there's a brick cutting into my shoulder."

He removed his hand from her throat and she dropped to the ground, letting out a gasp. Narrowing his eyes at her, he growled, "Don't sneak up on me."

"Duly noted," she told him before following him as he led her to the hidden door that led to the Foundry.

He punched in the code, not even bothering to hide it from her because he knew that she most likely already knew what it was anyway. Stepping inside, he hurried down the stairs, only to be met by Diggle who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, expecting them.

"Mr. Diggle," the hybrid spoke as she basically skipped down the stairs. The smile was still on her face and Oliver couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I'm Felicity."

She held out her hand in front of the older man, but Diggle remained unmoving. Oliver smirked before lowering his hood. Diggle was the most trusting one of the two of them, so the fact that he was clearly rejecting Felicity's efforts of politeness, was amusing, to say the least.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Felicity then said, her smile dropping and her voice turning serious. "I'm not going to hurt either of you." Her eyes traveled over to Oliver, who turned to look at Diggle, who was in turn contemplating Felicity.

"To be honest," Diggle said, finally accepting her hand and giving it a light shake, "I am quite curious about you Ms. Smoak."

Felicity smiled again, clearly thinking that she had won Diggle over, but Oliver knew that his partner was probably just testing her. At least he hoped that was what he was doing.

Diggle and Oliver had been through so much during the two years that he had been back in Starling City. When he had convinced Diggle to join him, it had taken them some time to figure out how they would work their operation. Diggle had his own motives for joining the crusade; his brother had been murdered by a sniper in the army and after a lot of research, Oliver had revealed to him that the sniper- Floyd Lawton- was a  _vampire_  mercenary. While taking down the names on his father's list, they had a secondary mission to find Lawton and avenge Andy Diggle's death, but things had been very slow in that particular department, since it seemed that Lawton had dropped from the face of the Earth.

"Ask me anything," Felicity said. "I'll tell you everything you want to know. Okay, well, maybe not  _everything_ , but-"

"Is that your way of getting us to trust you?" Oliver asked, crossing over to stand next to Diggle as he interrupted her. "So that you can then betray us like the monster you are?"

"I have no intention of betraying you," Felicity frowned. "Do you really think that I would have contacted ' _The Hood'_  if I wanted to stab you in the back? I think there's a bigger chance that you'll betray  _me-_ "

"Why did you contact us?" Diggle interrupted, sensing that there was a risk that the argument would get heated fast if he didn't stop it.

Felicity licked her lips and turned to face him, but not before shooting another glare at Oliver. "As you both have probably understood by now, I escaped from the man who made me a hybrid. I contacted you because I used to hear the others talking about you and I hoped that you would be able to help," she explained, looking back at Oliver.

"Help with what?" he asked and she once again did that infuriating thing where she bit her lip.

"I'm not entirely sure," she admitted and Oliver shook his head, knowing that this would all eventually just lead up to either her hurting him on him hurting her. "I got out before I learned all the details and they didn't trust me, so the only information I have is the one I overheard them talking about or the small amount that I was actually given in order to cooperate."

Oliver decided that it was better just to ignore her and turned to look at Diggle, "This is useless."

"Maybe we should hear her out first?" Diggle suggested, knowing that Oliver was already wishing that he had stabbed her with an arrow when he had had the chance.

"Do you even hear yourself, Dig?" Oliver snapped. "When have we  _ever_  tried to hear out one of the Dark Ones?"

"Can you stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Felicity wondered, but the two men promptly ignored her. Instead, she turned her attention to the Foundry and started looking around at everything from the various kinds of arrows, to the computers across the room.

"You told me to bring her back here, to the lair," Oliver yelled at Diggle. "I could have just as easily taken care of her in that alley!"

"And how would you have done that, Oliver? Hybrids are the only species that you don't have all the information you need to kill them. You wouldn't have stood a chance," Diggle said, clearly annoyed. "Besides, she was the one who contacted  _us_. Don't you think she already knew where the lair was if she managed to hack our mainframe?"

"I second that," Felicity interjected, holding up her hand.

"No one asked for your opinion," Oliver told her before turning back to Diggle. "Even if she did know the location, she never would have made it here. I would have killed her before she tried to reach us!"

"So why didn't you?" Diggle snapped loudly, taking a step toward Oliver, getting into his face.

_Why hadn't he?_

That was a question he too would love to know the answer to.

Oliver inhaled, preparing himself to once again fight back, but out of the corner of his eye he caught Felicity taking one of his arrows into her hands, so instead he turned to her, furiously yelling, "Stop touching my things!"

She dropped the arrow, twisting around to face him with a glare, "Stop acting like a baby!" Her yell echoed through the Foundry and for a minute no one spoke. Oliver continued to alternate his glare at Felicity and Diggle, but they both kept their eyes trained on him.

Clearly, this had become a two-against-one situation.

It was better to give up the fight this time, since they were clearly ganging up on him. "How did you do it?" Oliver finally sighed, turning to look at Felicity. "How did you hack out mainframe and find out my identity?"

"Well," Felicity said, stepping away from the arrow table, "I am a computer genius that graduated from MIT in '09, so the hacking part wasn't really that difficult. It did take me two months to actually decide to try ask you to help, but once I hacked the network the first time, I realized quickly who you were."

Oliver watched her, not breathing a word while she explained herself and Diggle didn't seem so keen on interrupting her either.

"Anyway, you guys really should have bought a computer without a pre-installed camera in it, because that was what gave away your identity," she told him.

"So you watched us? For how long?" Oliver asked, trying to keep calm even though the thought of having someone watch him made him uneasy.

"A month," Felicity admitted sheepishly. "As I said, I was arguing back and forth with myself for two months before I finally decided to try and reach out to you."

"But you didn't contact us until earlier today," Diggle said.

"Actually, that was yesterday, because it's past midnight," Felicity corrected. Upon the annoyed look Oliver sent her, she swallowed. "Although that isn't important, is it? Yeah, I thought so..."

"Why didn't you just reveal your identity?" Oliver questioned. "You could have hidden the fact that you are a hybrid and tried to contact us in person."

"I needed to know whether I could trust you or not," Felicity said. "Also, I needed to see how far you would actually go to find me. It didn't take you very long- which is kind of impressive actually- so I guess I decided it was worth giving you a chance. That's why I saved you from those wolves."

"You didn't save me," Oliver said, but Felicity merely grinned at him.

"Are you sure about that?"

He decided that it was better not to speak, because he could feel that he was slowly digging his own grave. Whatever this girl, this  _hybrid_ , was saying, she would twist his own words around and make him seem soft in her presence. He didn't need for other monsters to know that he had allowed her to live and see the lair and he wasn't really sure what he  _should_  be doing next.

"What information did you want to share with us?" Diggle asked, taking a step toward Felicity.

"I know that you don't trust me yet, Mr. Diggle," Felicity said. "I'm not stupid, as we've all established by now. So why should I give away the only thing that I can use as leverage to stay alive?"

"As  _we've_  already established," Oliver bit out, "neither Diggle nor I know how to kill a hybrid, so you're pretty safe anyway."

"You were willing to make a safe bet that decapitation works," Felicity pointed out. "Besides, the information I have about the Dark Ones isn't really current, is it? I mean, the time table for their plans hasn't really gotten into action yet, so I have at least a little while before I  _absolutely_  have to tell you."

"If we know what their plans are, we'll be able to stop them before they get a chance to go into action," Diggle told her, but she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," she said, "but I'm afraid I just simply don't trust you yet either. I can't go around worrying whether you'll just kill me after I reveal everything and to be honest?" She paused, looking over at Oliver. "I  _want_  you to trust me. I want to prove to you that not every monster is bad."

Oliver eyed her and shook his head. "Good luck with that," he told her, a sarcastic smirk adorning his face.

"What did you have in mind?" Diggle asked, ignoring Oliver's lack of enthusiasm for what Felicity had just told them.

"I want to become a part of your team," Felicity confidently said. "I want to help you take down the big bads in the city."

Oliver let out a snort, "There is no chance in  _hell_  that I'll be-"

"Okay," Diggle interrupted, before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"What?" Oliver snapped. "Dig, you can't be serious about considering this!"

"What other choice do we have, Oliver?" Diggle wondered. "The girl has had multiple chances to kill you these last few hours and she didn't. She could have outed your identity to every Nightcrawler she knew, but since no one has attacked Oliver Queen yet, I don't think she has and she clearly isn't planning to either."

"We can't trust her," Oliver repeated, his voice low.

"And she still has hybrid-hearing," Felicity pointed out. "And she really, really wants to prove herself."

Oliver shot the blonde another glare before turning to his partner. Yes, Oliver had been the first that had set out on this crusade alone, but since Diggle had joined him, he had always valued his opinion, despite sometimes making the final call on things. Since joining him, Diggle had been the more open-minded one out of the two of them, so he understood why Diggle was willing to give the hybrid a chance.

"She saved your life," Diggle reminded him quietly, despite knowing that Felicity could hear him. "Maybe she does deserve a chance to prove herself?"

Oliver contemplated it for a long minute. What did he have to lose?

 _Everything_ , a small voice in the back of his head told him. He had absolutely everything to lose, if he allowed himself to get close to the blonde hybrid. However, if she truly did know things about the Dark Ones that he didn't, he knew that his best chance was to give her a shot to try and, as she had put it so nicely, prove herself.

"Okay," he finally caved, turning back to look at Felicity. "You'll be staying here in the Foundry until further notice. You are allowed to assist us when you are  _asked_  for assistance and you are not allowed to contact anyone outside of the lair," he listed. "Are we understood?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I'll abide to all of your rules, except that first one."

Oliver rolled his eyes, "You can't walk around town if your pack is still looking for you."

"He's right," Diggle said. "You might accidentally lead them back to the lair."

"I can come up with a disguise," she countered. "I can stay by your side the entire time and you won't even notice me. I just..." she trailed off and closed her eyes, pinching the brig of her nose. "I've been hiding for three months now and no one has seen me," she sighed. "The other...  _Nightcrawlers_ , don't particularly like going out in the middle of the day and us hybrids, well, the sunlight doesn't bother us at all. So please, can I just go out around lunch from time to time? I promise that I'll be careful and won't lead anyone back to your secret lair."

Oliver turned to Diggle again and his friend merely shrugged.

"We can discuss it in a week's time," Oliver finally decided. "If you live that long."

Felicity's smile dropped, but she relented by offering him a small nod.

"And in the meantime, you'll have to prove to us that we can trust you," Diggle reminded her.

Once again, she nodded, her head still bowed. "As long as you don't forget that you too have to prove that  _I_ can trust you," she said quietly. "Otherwise the hell I've been put through will have been for nothing."

With those words, she turned around and walked toward the couch, where she promptly laid down and turned her back toward them. Oliver observed her petite form for a moment before leaving to change out of his suit. He was still itching to put her out of her misery, but at the same time, a small part of him wondered, what kind of 'hell' the blonde hybrid had been put through, before contacting them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course little Ms. Smoak isn't going to just reveal her agendas for looking the Hunter up! ;) She has to have some kind of leverage, right? And before any of you ask, it will take a little while until she tells her story... Like, in ten chapters or so... Be patient! =)
> 
> Now, I'm off to study! Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to review! I'll see you next Friday peeps! :D
> 
> Lots of love xx


	5. The Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity compromise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Okay, so I wanna start of by saying thank you to everyone for reviewing and reading this story :) I've had a lot of studying going on and today my grandma came home after visiting Bosnia for five months, so I visited her and stayed there the entire day! That is why this chapter is being updated so late... ^^
> 
> So, in this chapter, we're jumping ahead a little in time. A week has passed since last chapter and I really hope you like it! Please don't forget to comment! :)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Hunted**

 

**Chapter 5: The Compromise**

A week after agreeing to let the hybrid work with them-  _temporarily_ , he kept telling himself- Oliver found himself wondering why he had ever agreed to such a stupid idea.

Of course, it turned out that Felicity was still a tech-genius and she proved to be quite useful in some of their cases. However, Oliver still hated the fact that she was a part of the world that he had been trying to destroy for over seven years now.

She hadn't done anything to show that she couldn't be trusted, which only served to annoy him further. So, when he found himself in his car with Diggle, and Diggle brought up the subject of letting Felicity out of the Foundry during the day, Oliver knew that no matter what argument he tried, nothing would work.

"She hasn't done anything to compromise us, Oliver," Diggle pointed out as he drove them toward the Foundry. "Last night, she saved my life."

Oliver hated to admit it, but it was true. They had been working a difficult mission and Felicity had been observing them through the security cameras. Diggle had been on his way up to the roof, but had been to busy shooting at some thugs that he hadn't bothered to check if someone else was coming down the stairs. When Felicity had shouted through the comm-link for Diggle to watch his back, he had turned around just in time to dodge a bullet that would have surely embedded itself in his chest. Later, when they had returned to the lair, Diggle had walked up to the hybrid and thanked her, making her smile in the process. Oliver had met Diggle's eyes after that, and he had seen the newfound trust that his friend held for the monster. He had been foolishly hoping that Felicity's partial release from the Foundry wouldn't come up so soon after that.

"I know, Dig," Oliver bit out, glaring at the road ahead of them. "I'm just not sure if it's a good idea to let her off her leash yet. I still don't trust her, even if you clearly do."

Diggle shook his head at him, "She's saved both you and me, Oliver. She's had several chances to ambush us and kill us, but she hasn't. Doesn't that count for something?"

"She's a Dark One, Dig," Oliver reminded him. "They can't be trusted. She might just be-"

"Don't start with the whole backstabbing argument again," Diggle groaned. "That one is getting pretty old now."

Oliver had been about to retort that his argument still mattered, but was interrupted when Diggle chuckled. "What now?" he sighed.

"I was just thinking," Diggle said. "The thing you said about still keeping a leash on Felicity? Are you sure you don't just want to keep the girl chained up in the lair so that you can keep her under control? I mean, it's pretty clear that you get a little flustered each time she slips an innuendo into a conversation."

Oliver felt how his face heated up a little as he remembered the time he had almost choked on his water bottle when Felicity had made an accidental remark about his package (she had originally been referring to his six-pack, making her case on how it was possible for a human to actually challenge a Nightcrawler in strength).

"I do  _not_  get flustered," Oliver growled. "And she's still a hybrid, Dig. She can't be trusted and I will  _never_  trust her."

Diggle sighed, "I trust her, Oliver."

"And that will have to be enough," Oliver retorted. "I can't just give up everything I learned on Lian Yu. I can't just start believing that one of them might be different. That would go against everything."

"I may not have been in on this whole secret society of Dark Ones as long as you, Oliver," Diggle said, "but I don't believe that things are as black and white as you're trying to make them up to be."

"Have you forgotten that she has an ulterior motive?" Oliver countered, glaring at his friend. "Have you forgotten that the only reason that she hasn't killed us yet is because she wants our help with something?  _Something_ that she  _refuses_  to even tell us!"

"Aren't we using her and her skills in return?" Diggle argued. "She's already shown us how to make that mist that she used the night you brought her back to the lair and she's taught me a lot about some monsters that I didn't even know existed yet!"

"All to gain our trust," Oliver muttered, but he knew that what Diggle was saying was true. Felicity  _had_  shown them how to make the wolf mist that she had used that night, along with a few other non-lethal ways to incapacitate a Dark One. She had argued that he would sometime need to interrogate them and in order for him to keep them under his control, she had shown him some pressure points that would render the monsters immobile for at least a few minutes. Naturally, he had argued that she was only showing him those things because she didn't want him to kill her fellows, but deep inside- and he would never admit this out loud- he was thankful for the knowledge.

"Whatever man," Diggle sighed. "There's no point in trying to get through to you. My opinion is still that you should allow Felicity to step out during the day, even if it is only for an hour or two."

Oliver pursed his lips, deciding that it would be better not to say anything, in order to prevent another argument.

They reached Verdant a couple of minutes later and Diggle grabbed his shoulder to keep him from walking inside just yet.

"I won't get involved in the conversation," he told him. "This is your decision to make, and now you know my opinion on the matter, so I won't get involved, unless things turn violent."

"Okay," was the only word that Oliver managed to get out as he walked toward the back entrance of the club, heading straight for the basement.

He found Felicity sitting by the computers, her feet tucked up under her with a blanket wrapped around her as she watched a horror movie. The sight made him tilt his head in confusion as the hybrid squealed, jumping in her chair and covering her face with her hands. How was it possible for a monster like her to get scared by a simple horror flick?

"Felicity," Diggle said, startling the hybrid, who quickly turned the movie off and swirled around in her chair to face them with a smile.

Oliver's jaw was ticking and he balled his hands into fists, resisting the urge to yell at her for using the computers they had for work as a device of amusement. He knew however, that that argument would fall through, because after all, he was responsible for locking her up in the basement and telling her to keep herself busy with something while he kept on living like nothing was wrong in the world.

Fifteen minutes later, he and Felicity had fallen into a full blown argument, yelling at the top of their lungs at each other.

"You're dangerous!" Oliver argued. "You're a danger to humans which means that I can't just let you prance around however you want!"

"There are other hybrids out there already, Oliver!" Felicity yelled back at him. "If anything,  _they_  are dangerous! I would never hurt a human on purpose!"

"Yeah, sure," Oliver suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at her, "but what if you lose control? Then what? Are you honestly going to try telling me that you can keep the blood lust under control? The only reason that you haven't gone on a feverish killing spree yet is because we've been supplying you with blood bags!"

"I don't need the blood as much as you think, Oliver!" Felicity countered. "I can eat regular human food and be fine with it. That's the beauty of being  _half-_ vampire!"

"Still, you're a danger and-"

"Enough!" Felicity exclaimed as a snarl came out of her mouth, clearly fed up with him calling her dangerous. She was in his space less than a millisecond later, fangs bared and eyes glistening yellow. "Is  _this_  all you see in me?" she asked him, her eyes flashing as her white gleaming teeth remained elongated.

Oliver stood his ground, but inside, there was a conflict burning. The hurt that Felicity's voice betrayed, took him aback. He had never intended for his words to actually hurt her, because he had figured that a monster like her held no deep emotions. Besides, the words he had spoken were true, because she truly was dangerous. Now, he wondered, whether the danger he saw in her actually had something to do with the people he was trying to protect, or if it was his own values and thoughts that were being challenged by her that made him so afraid of her. What if he let her out and she proved to him that she indeed wouldn't pounce on every human that was close to him? What if she proved that she truly could be trusted? That though scared him more than anything.

"Okay, I think it's time the two of you calmed down," Diggle said, breaking through his thoughts. Oliver moved his head in his direction, seeing that his friend had pulled out his gun and was already pointing it at Felicity. He looked back at the hybrid, who still had her fangs bared at him, blackened veins surrounding the previously blue eyes that still held that golden hue that he hated so much.

She closed her mouth and took a step back from him, her eyes falling shut. When she opened them again, the veins were gone and the azure color had returned to her irises. She raised her hands, looking over at Diggle and took yet another step back from Oliver.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning her eyes back at Oliver. "I have done  _everything_  you have asked for," she told him. "Everything, and the only thing I've asked for in return, is a little of that freedom that I stopped having the moment I was turned into a hybrid."

Her pained tone made something inside of him stir and for a brief moment, his mind was transported back to his years in the supernatural purgatory.

The things he had had to do in order to survive, the orders he had had to follow from day one... Not once in those five years that he had been there had he truly felt free. His vow to take back his city from the monsters and to protect those who needed his protection had in a way made him a prisoner in his own body. Everything he did, he did for others. Even though he never expected anything in return, he understood what Felicity was saying, in a way. He too had had days when he longed for freedom, wanting to do something for himself once in a while.

He had learned long ago that hybrids that were turned formed a special bond with their Sire, the person who had turned them. The mixed monster usually ended up losing their freedom, entirely succumbing to its master's wishes. The fact that Felicity had managed to get away from her master, surely said something about her, even if he wasn't entirely sure what that something was just yet.

The wave of sympathy that flooded him as he watched Felicity in front of him surprised him. He hated her for being a monster, but all of the sudden, he was feeling sympathetic too? Was it because he had vowed to give back freedom to the humans, but had deprived her of hers, or was it because of something else? Did it really matter though?

The tears that were visible in Felicity's eyes once again made his heart clench and he absolutely  _loathed_  himself for feeling the need to take them away.

"Okay," he finally said, hardly recognizing his own voice as he spoke.

"Okay, what?" Felicity asked, looking confused.

He sighed, pinching the brig of his nose as he looked over at Diggle, who only nodded at him as he lowered his gun down. "You're allowed to go outside during the day," he explained.

"Really?" The happiness in Felicity's voice actually made him sick, but at the same time, there was some underlying feeling in his gut that he didn't want to name.

"You'll be allowed to go out, as long as you stay by my side so that I can personally keep an eye on you," he told her. His statement made her frown and tilt her head at him in a silent question. In turn, he sighed, "What now?"

"How am I supposed to be by your side all the time if you work at Queen Consolidated during the day?" she wondered, one of her eyebrows still quirked up in question.

Oliver knew that he would later curse himself for the word that came out of his mouth next.

"You can come along to Queen Consolidated and act as my assistant," he told her. "It will give you the chance to get out of the lair, but also help me keep an eye on you."

"Really?" Felicity said, this time sounding a lot more skeptical than before.

"Yes," he nodded. "That way, I'll make sure that you don't put other people around you in any danger and both Dig and I will be close to you at all times."

She hummed as she thought through his compromise and then finally nodded, "Okay, but if you think that I'll be getting you coffee whenever you want, you are gravely mistaken."

Oliver did indeed curse himself for the compromise he had made up with the hybrid.

Not more than three days later actually.

It had taken Felicity a little while to set up a fake profile for herself online, just in case someone at Queen Consolidated decided to question her when she got there. The main argument between her and Oliver during those three days had been whether she should keep her real name, or not. Oliver had argued that in order for her to keep herself hidden from her old pack, it would be better to change her identity completely, but Felicity had argued that she would feel uncomfortable with lying as it was and that she would probably mess up on her first day by mixing the names up. In the end, Diggle had ( _once again_ ) been on Felicity's side and they had decided to go with her real name, much to Oliver's dismay.

She had spun a story about working at a few smaller companies in Massachusetts as a consult after graduating from MIT so that she would have at least some working experience if anyone asked her. Oliver had already talked it over with Walter, telling him how it was difficult for him to keep track of all the various meetings as he shadowed him in the company. Walter had agreed to let him hire someone to help him keep notes and when Oliver had told Walter that he had actually already found someone, Walter had been surprised to say the least.

When Oliver had told them about Felicity, Moira had been afraid that he had only hired the girl for his own  _entertainment_ , but Walter had been on his side, telling Moira that Oliver wasn't like that anymore. He had presented them with Felicity's resume, Moira had been shocked by her qualifications. Also, it helped a little that he had managed to miss four important meetings that week, which made the story of him falling behind on company work more believable.

And now, he was cursing himself.

He was down in the Foundry, wearing his business suit as he waited for Felicity to get dressed. She had been out the previous day, with Diggle, and bought some clothes that she could wear at work. Impatiently, he tapped his foot against the floor with his arms crossed over his chest. "How long does it take to change?" he muttered. "Isn't she supposed to be able to move in super-speed or whatever?"

"She's still a girl, Oliver," Diggle chuckled. "She'll be out before you know it." Diggle too was dressed to go to work as Oliver's driver-slash-bodyguard.

Just as he had spoken, the bathroom door opened and Felicity stepped out. Now  _that_  was the moment he started cursing himself.

The hybrid in front of him was wearing a tight, black pencil skirt, a pink blouse that was tucked into said tight skirt and a pair of black high heels. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her makeup was light, except for the bright fuchsia colored lipstick she had coated her lips with. The thing that actually made him swallow though, was that she was wearing a pair of thick-framed glasses, giving her the perfect secretary look.

"How do I look?" she asked, twirling on the spot, making something inside of Oliver's stomach turn.

If she hadn't been a hybrid, Oliver would have allowed himself to tell her that she actually looked quite beautiful. But she wasn't human, and how could someone who wasn't human be beautiful?

"Glasses?" he asked, his voice surprisingly hoarse. He cleared it and stood up straighter, trying to cover up the small sign of weakness that he might have just shown. He looked over at Diggle, who was smirking back at him, clearly amused by his uneasiness.

"I figured they could help a little with my secret identity," Felicity explained, looking at him with a smile on her face. "Not that I actually need them, since my eyesight is perfect. So the glasses don't actually have an adjustment to make me see better... Although, I do think they suit me, don't you?" She moved the glasses a little further down on her nose and looked over at Oliver from over her frames.

Once again, he cursed himself and swallowed thickly, hating the effect the hybrid in front of him suddenly seemed to have on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, so now Felicity will be working side by side with Oliver as his assistant! ;) Fun times at the office up ahead! ^^ Not to mention the sexual tension... ;) *wink wink*
> 
> Oh, and please don't forget to comment! You're reviews keep me going! :D
> 
> Thank you for reading! xx
> 
> P.S. What did you think of Felicity losing her temper with Oliver? Some fangs and heated words are always welcome right? ;)


	6. The Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver wants to drill a hole through his head and tries to deal with Felicity working as his assistant. Walter seems smitten with the hybrid, but Moira doesn't seem to be fooled too easily. Tensions rise at the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Just finished the chapter in time for my deadline! ^^ I got a little carried away with this one and decided to give you guys an inside look of Felicity's mindset too! Also, there will be an explanation about Laurel and Tommy in this chapter too (but they won't be there in person just yet!). So yeah, Tommy is alive because it's an AU and I love Tommy!
> 
> Oh, and Happy Official Arrow Wednesday people! Arrow will be back tonight! :D Yay! (I will never mention spoilers and such here because I know some people aren't able to watch it until the day after or so... Like me...)
> 
> This chapter is twice as long as the last one and I can't really say if I'll be able to write them this long every time, but I can always try! Quality over quantity people! I hope this measures up! ;)
> 
> And one last thing: The beginning of this chapter is rated a tiny bit higher, I guess, just to be safe... I've been playing with the idea of raising the rating to Mature, but I don't want to lose readers if I do... Tell me whether you'd want a higher rating or not so I know how the majority feels about it! :)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Hunted**

**Chapter 6: The Office**

* * *

 

" _Mr. Queen," she whispers, her voice sultry as she looks over at him from across the table. He raises his head, meeting her cold gaze as the files in his hands fall to the floor. She is wearing that damn pencil skirt again, but this time, her blouse is white and the outlines of her hot pink bra can be seen through the slightly sheer material._

_He swallows thickly as his eyes travel down on their own accord as she slips off her black high heels and places them on the table._

_Where had the board members gone? They had been there just a second ago and now, he was all alone; with_ her _._

_She raises her hand, pulling out the elastic band that held her golden hair in its confines, running a hand through the tresses as she lets them fall over her shoulders. Her glasses slip down a little on her nose as she leans over the table, "The meeting is over. You should have been paying more attention, Mr. Queen."_

_His throat feels a lot thicker as he watches her unbutton the top button of her shirt. "I was paying attention," he tells her, but he knows that it's a lie. Ever since she walked into the room, wearing_ those clothes, _he hasn't been able to think about any financial calculations. All he ever does is count the buttons of her shirts, wondering how long it would take to undo them all._

" _You weren't," she grins as she slowly crawls on top of the table, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage now that her top button is undone. "You were paying attention to_ me _, and now, you're going to pay for it." Her voice is husky as she makes her way over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders as she slowly puts her legs on either side of him and sits down on his lap._

_He closes his eyes, hating himself for enjoying the show she is giving him, but not being able to help himself, as he puts his hands on her waist. She leans down, nuzzling his neck briefly before pulling his shirt collar down so that she can kiss the place where his neck meets his shoulder._

_He hates himself even more, because he leans back in the chair and exposes his neck further, so she can keep trailing kisses there. After every other kiss, her tongue sweeps out and flicks gently over his skin, making every hair on his body stand. It feels so good, that he gains a deeper self-loathing than ever. Without meaning to, he lets out a small moan and he feels her freeze above him, smiling into his neck a moment before she pulls away. Looking up, he meets her intense gaze again, but this time his breath catches in his throat._

_Her eyes as shimmering yellow and as she smiles down at him, he can see her fangs elongating. There is a wicked look on her face as blackened veins begin to form around her eyes and her grip on his shoulders tightens._

" _Felicity-"_

_Her name comes out as a strangled cry when she pulls him close and sinks her fangs into his neck._

_-§-_

Oliver startled awake, drowned in his own sweat. He sat up and looked around the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings as his heart beat erratically in his chest.

This wasn't the first time he woke up from a nightmare since his return from the Island. He could still remember the first night he had slept in his house, when a storm had rolled in and made him dream about all the horrible monsters he had encountered on Lian Yu. His mother hadn't known any better, and she had tried to approach him while he was still deep in sleep and when he had woken up, he had almost ended up suffocating her, thinking for a second that she was a shapeshifter. Since that night, his family members had learned their lesson, allowing him to wake himself up from the nightmares when he was ready. They had never tried to come to his room at night, but Oliver knew that they sometimes heard him shouting in the middle of the night.

Sure, two years had passed since his return and the nightmares had become less frequent. Nowadays, they were usually triggered by an eventful day or a long night out on the streets, but when they appeared, they still managed to take his breath away and make him feel weak, much like he had felt when he had first arrived on Lian Yu.

This dream though, the one with Felicity crawling towards him as she slowly undressed while they were at the office, had become a regular one these last few night. He hated himself for having them, especially considering how far his dream self would sometimes allow the hybrid to go, but the dreams always ended the same way: with Felicity's fangs in his neck.

The first time he had had the dream, he had told himself that it had only been because of the fact that they had spent an incredibly long day at the office, introducing Felicity as his new assistant. He would be stupid if he tried to deny the fact that she had once been quite a beautiful human, so he reckoned that his mind was playing tricks with him because of that. Never before had he dream about a Dark One like that, because usually, the dreams he had about the monsters involved him hunting them down and killing each and every one of them.

Thus, he had dismissed the dream entirely and decided never to think about it again.

Naturally, that proved to be a lot more difficult than he thought, because the next day, Felicity wore a deep blue dress that hugged her every curve and ended a little bit above her knee. Her blonde hair had been let down and somehow, her glasses made her look almost innocent. Oliver knew better though, so when he woke that night, sweaty and panting and  _a lot_ more affected than he ever would have admit he was, he did a couple of (he stopped counting when he passed a hundred) push-ups before going back to bed.

The dreams continued, all of them starting and all of them ending the same way. He believed it must have been a sign, telling him to keep an eye on the hybrid because she would eventually try to sink her teeth into him.

He laid back down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. His breathing had calmed, but his head was still filled with the images of Felicity slowly unbuttoning her clothes. Groaning, he rolled over to lay on his stomach as he buried his face in his pillow.

A tiny voice in the back of his head told him that these inappropriate dreams about the little hybrid only proved how much the monster had gotten under his skin since joining him and Diggle in the Foundry. During these two weeks that she had been with them, she had proven herself to be useful, but these  _dreams_.

Oliver groaned again, his mind once again reminding him of how it had felt when Felicity's tongue had lapped over his skin slowly and languidly...

The dreams made him want to drill a hole through his head.

-§-

Oliver sat in the limousine, his stare set on the city outside. The morning had been a long one, to say the least. His mother had insisted that he ate breakfast with her, Walter and Thea, and reluctantly, he had had to agree. He knew that he couldn't avoid them just because he was worried about Felicity attacking them behind his back. When he had tried to talk to Diggle about his worries, his friend had told him that Felicity would never get such an opening considering how he watched her every move at the office.

At first, Oliver had wanted to deny it, because he swore to himself that he  _wasn't_  always looking over at Felicity's desk through the glass wall between their offices. Of course, the day after his conversation he started to realize just how much he actually did look over at the hybrid.

Every fifth minute or so he would glance over, only to see her so deeply engrossed in her work that the little frown on her face almost made him smile. Whenever he realized that the corners of his mouth were twitching, he would quickly gather himself and force himself to send her a glare before looking back down at his own papers.

It didn't help him feel any better that Walter was pretty much smitten with her.

The two of them had hit it off instantly and Walter had even asked him at breakfast the next morning where he had found such a "lovely girl".

 _If he only knew_ , Oliver had thought as he made up some silly story about walking into her at a coffee shop as she was filling out a job application, her coffee ending up all over his computer and her promising that she could fix it for him.

Walter had bought his story, but his mother had only narrowed her eyes as she looked over at Felicity, clearly suspicious.

"Oliver," Diggle spoke from the driver's seat. "We're here."

Oliver blinked a few times, seeing that they were indeed outside of Verdant. Every day this last week, Oliver had made sure that he and Diggle picked up Felicity directly from the lair so that she wouldn't try to make her way to Queen Consolidated alone. Oliver would usually go down to the basement and get her and then they would drive back there together with Diggle again once they were done at the office. Ordinarily, Oliver went home for a few hours so that his family wouldn't be too suspicious of his whereabouts, but in the evening, he would return to Verdant under the pretense of checking up on his club, when he in fact went down to the Foundry to prepare for his nightly patrol.

"You know, we could always just rent her a company car, Oliver," Diggle pointed out. "She hasn't tried anything since she joined us."

"I am well aware of that, Diggle," Oliver ground out through gritted teeth. "But I still can't trust her." He watched his friend for a moment before frowning, "What brought that comment on, by the way?"

Diggle shrugged, looking at him through the reflection in the rear view mirror, "Felicity might have mentioned the other night that she missed driving her own car."

"The other night?" Oliver asked for clarification.

"I may or may not have stayed a while longer after you headed home," Diggle admitted, once again shrugging. Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but Diggle beat him to it, "And don't give me any damn lessons about being careful around her, Oliver. I know how to protect myself and frankly, I still haven't felt the need to protect myself from Felicity."

Oliver shot him a glare before opening the door to head outside, "You're too soft." He slammed the door shut before Diggle could speak again and headed for the club, unlocking the front door. During the day he never used the back door that lead directly to the lair in order to avoid people thinking something was being hidden there.

He walked down the stairs soundlessly, as he normally did and punched in the secret code before opening the door, expecting to find Felicity sitting on the cot they had installed there when she moved in, as he always found her. This time though, he froze on the last step for half a second before quickly turning around with his eyes shut tightly.

" _Felicity_ ," he growled. "Where the hell are your clothes?"

"Oliver!" she exclaimed, and he could hear as she quickly moved around behind him to get dressed. When he had walked in, she had had her back turned toward him, wearing nothing but a pair of pink and white striped boy-shorts and a white bra. That small millisecond that he had frozen, he hadn't been able to help the way his eyes had traveled down her toned body and the pictures from the dreams that haunted him began flooding his mind again as he cursed himself for being weak.

"I'm so sorry!" she said quickly. "I was just so tired after last night's mission and then I think I hit the snooze button once on my phone and I don't know what happened after that but I overslept and  _okay_ , I might have hit the snooze button three times, but in my defense I was having the most awesome dream for  _once_  and-"

"Felicity," he ground out her name through gritted teeth. "Are you dressed yet?" He still hadn't opened his eyes, but he wasn't really sure why. Felicity was a female, even though she was a monster and he wasn't exactly unfamiliar with the anatomy of a woman. In fact, he had spent the better part of his late teenage years up to his shipwreck on Lian Yu worshiping said anatomy. Seeing Felicity half-naked shouldn't bother him as much as it did, especially not since he and Diggle usually worked out without shirts around her too and she never battered an eyelash in their direction. Still, he decided to blame his uneasiness on Felicity actually being a monster because  _he_  couldn't be attracted to a monster of any kind, could he? Then, there were his nightmares about her. Yeah, they must be why he couldn't bring himself to look at her at the moment.

"Yeah," Felicity squeaked behind him and he finally turned around to face her. Today she was wearing a deep purple dress, paired with a pair of black flats. Over her arm she had draped a black cardigan and was holding tightly to her bag. "I'm sorry," she repeated and he couldn't help but notice how her face was a little flushed. That shocked him a little, mostly because she was usually so pale, like all other Nightcrawlers. The slight blush on her cheeks made her look...almost human.

"Whatever," he said dismissively, "Diggle is waiting for us in the car."

"Okay," she nodded, walking toward the stairs, but not before shutting the lights off in the lair. There was still a little light flowing in through the door that he had left open, so he could just make out the stairs. She walked past him, but not before sending a look his way, her eyes flashing yellow briefly, making his stomach turn when he once again cursed himself over letting one of Them into his life. When he started after her, he  _almost_  failed to notice the way he had automatically lifted his hand to put it on her lower back, before pulling it back, balling it up in a fist by his side.

This was most certainly going to be a long day.

-§-

A frowning Oliver wasn't exactly an unusual sight, especially not since he had agreed to shadow Walter around the office, per his mother's request. The arrangement worked as a perfect cover for him too since his mother had stopped hounding him on where he disappeared every night. She understood that he was a 'hardworking' man and that he too needed to let loose every once in a while, which was also why she hadn't protested profusely when he had told her that he would keep managing his nightclub in the Glades, that he had opened shortly after his return from the dead.

It had taken Oliver a few months to get things set up, both in the club and in the secret lair underneath it. During that period, he had gotten Diggle to join him and successfully evaded both his mother and younger sister who kept questioning his motives for opening Verdant. They had both refused to believe that he hadn't changed at all since being shipwrecked and he had continuously told them that he was serious about his business.

Six months after Verdant opened for business, one year after his return from Lian Yu, Oliver agreed to follow Walter around at the office and learn about the company that his father had left behind him. During the year that he had been working at Queen Consolidated, he had quickly gotten the hang of things, but that didn't necessarily mean that he enjoyed sitting in board meetings all day. Nevertheless, working at Queen Consolidated allowed him to see his mother more often and in turn keep her from asking questions about his whereabouts all the time. She had been very protective since he had returned and in a way he understood her. Also, working at his parent's company made it easy to keep playing up the charades of being a playboy billionaire too. He was known in the company for flirting shamelessly with the employees, but never actually taking a step into something deeper. He couldn't give in to wanting  _more,_ especially with the secret life he led.

His last  _real_  girlfriend had been Laurel Lance, and that had been before the Island. That relationship ended the second he sneaked Laurel's younger sister onto the Queen's Gambit and then proceeded to 'die' in a storm. He had cheated and lied and mistreated Laurel in ways that still shamed him immensely. He wanted to believe that he had changed and since he had returned, he and his ex-girlfriend had managed to somehow build a small friendship at least.

Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Laurel was happily dating Thomas Merlyn, Oliver's best friend.

Tommy and Laurel had found each other while grieving Oliver, but Oliver knew that their love for each other went a lot deeper than just a way to cope with loss. Maybe it had begun that way, but it had evolved into something much more real and Oliver had stepped aside the moment he had realized that.

During his five years away, he had held onto Laurel's picture for dear life. He had wanted to survive, if only so that he could come back to her and tell her how sorry he was for all the hurt that he had caused her. Not only had he cheated on her with her sister, but he had also been the cause of her sister's demise. Laurel had needed time when he had gotten back and he had given her the distance she had craved. A few months after he returned, Tommy showed up at the mansion, Laurel behind him. They had talked and Oliver had apologized again, this time feeling that he and Laurel could at least try to mend their friendship. It had been a start, but he knew that he could never allow himself to be as close to her or any other woman again, especially not in a romantic way.

During the two years that he had been back, he had given dating a try. McKenna had been a breath of fresh air and things had worked pretty well between them, until she got injured one evening by a Dark One that he had been hunting. He had been hunting the Nightcrawler and McKenna had been hunting him, because he was the vigilante and she was the cop that had been assigned the quest to capture him. She moved away and never looked back at him and he vowed to never get emotionally attached to another woman again, because she would always end up hurt in the end.

His sister, mother and Laurel were the exceptions though, at least to a degree. Thea was the most important person in his life and his mother was his mother. He lived with them and he would never be able to shake them, even if he wanted to. Laurel was now just a friend, but he still felt a connection with her that wouldn't let him just cut off all ties. Especially now that she and Tommy were together. It made things easier for Oliver to know that Laurel was off limits, but he knew that she would always have a special place in his heart.

Having a woman in his life that wasn't one of these three wasn't an option for Oliver, and yet, he found himself frowning at the blonde hybrid that had somehow crawled into his life.

She was laughing with her head thrown back at something Walter had said, the older man watching her amused, as she helped him with some forms. They had been talking and laughing for over fifteen minutes and Oliver didn't know if he should go interrupt them or if he should just let them be.

It was no secret that Walter Steele was absolutely smitten by the girl and that fact annoyed the hell out of Oliver. He knew that he couldn't exactly tell Walter to stop requesting her help with his computer all the time, because now that Walter knew that Felicity had gone to MIT, he somehow found everyone in the IT-department to be highly incompetent compared to her. According to him, Felicity was one of the nicest young woman he had ever encountered and he enjoyed listening to her talk about all the various ways they could improve the company's image.

Earlier this morning Moira had been the one to point out that Felicity was just Oliver's  _assistant_ , which meant that she didn't have a say in what they should or shouldn't do with the company  _she owned_. Oliver and his mother had been walking toward a meeting with their lawyer regarding some shares when they had overheard Felicity and Walter talking. Oliver hadn't missed the harsh coldness in his mother's tone when she had spoken and he most certainly hadn't missed the way Felicity's face had fallen.

"We were just making conversation, Moira," Walter had told his wife, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly skyrocketed in the room.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Queen," Felicity had said quickly. "Or is it Queen-Steele? Uhm, either way, I'm sorry. It really wasn't my place." She had glanced over at Oliver, who had actually felt a little bad for her- at least until he realized that he was feeling bad for her and proceeded to hate himself again.

"Maybe you should go print out the notes I sent you yesterday, Felic-  _Ms. Smoak,_ " he quickly said, both because he wanted to get her away from his mother and her husband, but also because he had almost slipped up the professional act they had been trying to keep up.

Felicity had looked at him briefly before nodding. She had actually printed those notes the moment he had sent them to her and immediately had them in his office on his desk, but they both decided that it was better if she just left.

After the meeting with the lawyer, Oliver had gone back to his office only to find Walter once again by Felicity's desk, the two of them laughing. He had passed them without them even noticing and then sat down by his own desk to watch them.

What was Felicity playing at?

Why was she trying to charm his step-father and make him putty in her hands? Was this some way to get under his skin? Maybe he should tell her that she had managed doing that without involving Walter at all...?

He stood from his chair and walked out to them, "Walter,  _Ms. Smoak_." He nodded at them as he walked toward them while buttoning his suit jacket.

"Oliver," Walter greeted, a smile still on his lips as he tore his eyes away from Felicity, who looked up at Oliver from her seat. There was some kind of feeling bubbling inside of him when he saw just the smallest hint of a blush creep up her cheeks. "We didn't hear you come in."

"I passed you five minutes ago, but it seems like you were too  _caught up_  in your conversation with Ms. Smoak that you failed to notice me," Oliver said, a fake smile plastered on his face. He shot a darker look at Felicity, "Have you prepared the reports for tomorrows meeting?"

"Yes, Mr. Queen," Felicity replied, picking up a stack of papers. "I'll put them on your desk before we- before  _I_ head out tonight," she quickly corrected.

"Just making sure," Oliver said, trying his hardest to sound polite in front of Walter. "You seemed to be preoccupied before."

Walter took a small step toward him and put his hand on Oliver's shoulder, "I was just apologizing for Moira's behavior earlier today. Then Felicity told me a story about one of her professors at MIT and I had to tell her about my own experiences within the educational system."

Oliver bit his tongue trying to keep from snapping at the older man that he should stay away from Felicity before speaking, "It's fine."

He looked back at Felicity and he could tell that she knew that he was lying through his teeth. It was an uncanny ability of hers. She was able to tell whenever he was lying or telling her or other people half-truths. He didn't know if it had something to do with her being a hybrid or if it was something she just picked up on after observing him for so long.

"Well, I'm afraid I have to get back to my own work now," Walter smiled down at Felicity. "It's always a pleasure, Ms. Smoak. Good bye, Oliver."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Steele," Felicity called after him.

"Bye," Oliver nodded curtly.

He waited until he heard the elevator ding before turning back to Felicity, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Felicity frowned.

"You and Walter," Oliver ground out. "You need to stop that, whatever it is that is going on."

"Nothing is 'going on', Oliver," Felicity glared. "We're just being friendly."

"A little too friendly," Oliver spat. "My mom doesn't like it and she's getting suspicious about your intentions."

Moira had expressed her concerns about Felicity to Oliver after the meeting with their lawyers. She told him that she didn't feel like she could trust the young blonde, especially not after what she went through with Oliver's father.

It hadn't been a secret that Robert Queen had cheated on Moira while they had been together, but Oliver had been blind to it in his younger years, mostly due to the fact that he never really bothered with paying attention. He knew that Walter loved his mother more than anything in the world, but that didn't mean that his mother would simply trust any woman who approached Walter; professionally or generally.

"My  _intentions_?" Felicity frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Walter is old enough to be my  _father_."

"Well, he is  _my_  step-father, so  _back off_."

Both of his hands were resting on her desk, effectively trapping her between him and the table. She was still sitting in her chair, glaring at him and he could see the annoyance that she felt in her eyes.

"Walter was nice to me, Oliver," she told him slowly. "That is the  _only_ reason that I talk to him. He is  _nice_  to me, compared to  _you_." She rose from her seat, forcing him to take a small step back from her. "I made a mistake.

He loomed over her as he kept glaring at her, "Getting friendly with my step-father? I don't disagree."

" _No_ ," Felicity snapped. "Agreeing to be your Executive Assistant and signing up to help you. This compromise was the stupidest thing I've ever agreed to. If you can't even believe me when I tell you that I'm not going to hurt your loved ones, or trust me enough to do one thing here in the office without sinking my fangs into someone's neck, then I don't want to be a part of this anymore. Screw the information I have and  _screw you_ , Oliver!" She reached for the purse that she had bought on one of her shopping trips with Diggle, but he caught her wrist before she could reach it.

"Stop," he growled. "Where the hell do you think you're going? You're not allowed to leave until  _I_ leave."

Slowly, she turned back to face him. Her eyes flashed yellow briefly before turning back to her baby-blue shade. "Let go of my wrist before I break yours," she said. The calmness in her tone made his skin crawl but before he could figure out a reply, he heard a light knock on the door.

"Oliver?" Both he and Felicity snapped their head to the side, facing Moira who had managed to walk in without either of them noticing. "Am I interrupting something?"

Oliver looked back at Felicity, who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He hadn't noticed just how close they were standing to each other and he could only imagine what his mother was thinking about the way she had caught them; faces close, his hand on her wrist and his body trapping hers against the desk.

"No, Mrs. Queen," Felicity spoke before he could. She pulled her wrist out of his grip way too easily and he frowned, understanding that she had indeed been serious about breaking his wrist before. "I was just asking Mr. Queen here if it would be okay for me to head home a little earlier since I'm not feeling well and he agreed that I should leave and rest. I think I might be coming up with the flu."

"Yes, it has been going around lately," Moira said, but she didn't seem too convinced by the lie that Felicity had managed to make up on the spot. "How  _kind_  of Oliver to let you leave a little earlier."

Had Felicity known that his mother had been on her way up to his office? She was a hybrid, and as she had pointed out so many times, she had hybrid-hearing, so she must have, right?

Oliver stared down at Felicity, who  _smirked_  at him.

Oh yeah, she had  _definitively_  heard his mother approaching.

And now she had him cornered because there was no way in hell that Oliver would make a scene in front of his mother and risk exposure. That little...

"So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow then, Mr. Queen," Felicity said. "Mrs. Queen," she acknowledged in passing as she pulled on her coat. Oliver followed her with his eyes as she walked away. Before she rounded the corner that would put her out of her sight, she turned around to glance at him one last time.

Her eyes flashed yellow yet again and she actually had the audacity to  _wink_  at him, right before she disappeared from his view.

He gripped her desk and clenched his jaw, hating that he couldn't just follow her and give her a piece of his mind. Their compromise was that she would  _always_  stay by his side so that he could keep an eye on him. The rare moments that he wasn't able to be around her, Diggle would be and she had just broken the rules they had set up by leaving earlier than planned.

"Is everything alright, Oliver?" his mother asked, bringing him out of his thoughts of what Felicity's punishment should be for defying him.

"Yeah, just thinking," he mumbled, sitting down in Felicity's chair. "Sorry, mom," he sighed, "I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

"So it doesn't have anything to do with your blonde assistant then?" Moira pressed. It seemed like she wanted to cut straight to chase and not talk around the subject like she usually did. "Is there something going on between the two of you? Don't think I haven't noticed the way you always seem to sneak off with her and use hushed whispers when you think no one is watching."

"Mom," Oliver said calmly. "There is  _definitely_   _nothing_  going on between Felicity and me; she's not my type."

"Oh please," Moira scoffed. "A beautiful, young, smart blonde is  _not_  your type?"

 _A bloodsucking monster isn't_ , Oliver thought to himself. "We're just...friends," he said, inwardly cringing. The thought of being friends with Felicity made him feel as if he needed to throw up.

"Well," Moira said, still not sounding convinced, "I think you should keep an eye on her. I can't say I'm convinced about you claim that you're only friends, but I have a bad feeling about this girl, Oliver."

"Don't worry, mom," Oliver insisted.

He'll keep an eye on her alright.

* * *

"Dig, I'm leaving," Felicity told the older man as she approached him. He had just been arriving when she had stepped out of the elevator.

"What? Where's Oliver?" Diggle frowned.

"That asshat is upstairs with his mother, who probably thinks I'm having an affair with her husband while also sleeping with my boss, also known as  _her son_ , on the side," Felicity rambled. "Could you please drive me to the Foundry? I can't stay here another minute."

Diggle watched her silently before nodding, "Okay, but I think we should make a stop first."

-§-

Felicity waited patiently on Diggle in the car. He had made a stop on the way to the Foundry at Big Belly Burger to get her something to eat. She had to admit, the man seemed to understand her better than most people.

When she was alone, she had managed to steal a blood bag or two from the hospital to drink. Being a hybrid meant that she didn't have a craving for blood like vampires did, but drinking it made it easier for her to keep hidden because she wouldn't have to eat so much human food. Drinking blood simply kept her for being hungry too often.

Now that she had promised Oliver and Diggle that she didn't need the substance, she had to eat food more regularly so that she wouldn't starve.

Okay, so a hybrid can't really starve to  _death_ , but they can desiccate and remain immobile until someone feeds them blood...which would be very inconvenient.

Diggle had made it a habit to always bring food down to the Foundry for her and during the day, she was a frequent visitor in the cafeteria at Queen Consolidated, much to Oliver's annoyance.

Felicity found herself frowning as she thought about the man. She  _understood_  that he had a problem with her because of what she was, but she had been trying so hard for over two weeks to show him that she wasn't like the monsters that he had encountered before. Sometimes, she tried to imagine the horrors he must have gone through after getting shipwrecked but she also knew that nothing she thought of could measure up to the real thing.

She felt bad for him and she really, really just wanted to help.

If she could, she would have told her everything she had learned while in captivity about what the other Dark Ones were planning, but she was afraid that Oliver might try to kill her the second he got the information out of her.

Diggle trusted her more than Oliver, the proof being that he had just left her in the car alone without warning her of what would happen if she tried to run away. She was happy that Diggle was willing to give her a chance, but it annoyed her to no end that Oliver just  _refused_ to do the same thing!

Maybe that was why she enjoyed dressing up so much in front of him?

She was able to sense the annoyance he felt each and every time he laid eyes on her, but that wasn't the only emotion she picked up off of him. His scent gave her the impression that he was also very confused about her, almost as if he wanted to believe her but was too stubborn to do so. The moment she had felt his confusion, she had silently vowed to herself that she would earn his trust by being the best assistant he had ever had (not that he had had many, apparently). That, of course, didn't mean that she couldn't have a little fun too.

Truth be told, she got easily bored in the Foundry, so she took every chance she got to enjoy herself while she was at Queen Consolidated. Even though she was trying to earn Oliver's trust and she knew that he hated whenever she spoke to Walter, she had a lot of fun conversing with the older man. She had missed meeting people who didn't know the truth about the People of Darkness. They were oblivious and got to know her for  _her_  and not the supposed monster that she was. Walter was nice and she enjoyed talking to him without being judged, something that Oliver didn't seem to be able to grasp.

According to him, she had an ulterior motive with everything that she did, and sometimes, his bullheadedness made her want to slam him up against a wall and just shake him.

_Or kiss him._

Wait, what? Where had that come from?

Okay, so Oliver was an attractive man, and just like any other woman, she  _had_  noticed. She was just as capable of being attracted to someone as any other woman, no matter how heartless Oliver made her out to be. The miniscule attraction that she felt for him might have something to do with the fact that she saw him as a hero for everything he was doing to protect the innocent, but he was definitively off limits for her. At times, he drove her insane because she knew that he hated her and sometimes, she almost hated him too, to be honest. Why did he just refuse to see that she wasn't just a monster? Why was it so hard for him to give her a chance, like Diggle had done?

She was actually afraid that she might ever earn his trust and that he would never believe her when she told him that she really didn't want to cause him any harm.

Being a hybrid wasn't exactly easy. She had been turned into one just a few months ago and she was still learning to control her temper. The night that Oliver had agreed to compromise, she had lost her cool for a second and she would never forget the shame she had felt wash over her when she had noticed that Diggle had actually pulled the gun on her. She hated to not be in control of herself and her anger at Oliver and at the world had gotten the better of her for a moment. Later, when she had been alone with Diggle in the lair, she had told him that if it ever happened again, he shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on her.

She would rather die than become a  _real_  monster.

From the window she could see Diggle approaching, two large bags in his hands. He entered the car and handed her one of them before opening his own and taking two fries into his mouth.

"Oliver called me," he stated.

"What did Mr. Grumpy want?" Felicity sneered, taking a sip from her soda before reaching for the burger in the bag.

"Told me you left," Diggle said, "but I told him you were with me and that you hadn't broken the rules we had set up."

"Great," Felicity nodded. "I'm still mad at him though."

"Which is understandable," Diggle agreed. "But Felicity, you have to understand him too, you know... It wasn't easy for him to let you into our team."

"He  _hasn't_ let me in, Dig," Felicity protested. "He doesn't trust me at all and no matter what I do, he will always just see me as a monster!"

"Give him time," Diggle insisted. "He'll come around sooner or later... Probably  _later_ , but the important thing is that he  _will_."

"I just want him to give me a chance," Felicity mumbled, "and it's upsetting that he simply refuses to believe that not every monster is bad. I mean, there are  _humans_  out there who are just as bad, and sometimes even worse than the Dark Ones I know!"

Diggle shrugged, popping another fry in his mouth, "Patience, Felicity."

 _Patience, Felicity_.

"That's what I keep telling myself," she told the older man. "Although, patience doesn't come easily for us hybrids."

"Then you have to understand that  _trust_  doesn't come easily to Oliver," Diggle told her, still as calm as ever.

"I'll earn his trust, Dig," she said confidently, "even if it's the last thing I do."

It wasn't until they drove to the Foundry and she saw Oliver beating up a training dummy while simultaneously glaring at her that she realized that she had made herself a promise that wouldn't be so easily fulfilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it was! Some schmexy dreams for Oliver, an awkward half-naked Olicity moment, tensions at the office, some Laurel/Tommy history and a suspicious Moira! Oh, and then there's little miss Smoak and her battle to make Oliver trust her, but even she can get frustrated sometimes! ;)
> 
> Feel free to tell me what you thought of the chapter in a review, and once again: Congratulations to all of you who have made it through the hiatus! ;)
> 
> xx


	7. The Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has been exhausting himself while looking for a vampire that has been killing innocent people. Meanwhile, Felicity makes an interesting remark about the list that Oliver has been carrying with him for seven years. The hybrid puts two and two together and connects the dots between the vampire that Oliver has been hunting and the Unidac auction, that his stepfather has been preparing for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say it without sugarcoating it: I think I broke my brain with this chapter.
> 
> IT'S OVER 15,000 WORDS LONG PEOPLE! That's at least TWICE as long as the last chapter and I've been working my a** off, both in school and at home at the same time. So, I SINCERELY hope you like it and please, please, PLEASE leave a comment and tell me what you though! I can't even begin by telling you how much it would mean to me! =)
> 
> Thank you for all the support I've gotten so far on this story!
> 
> Enjoy!

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **7: The Case**

* * *

 

Oliver sat on the stool and picked up the discarded arrows that were on the table. He looked over at Diggle who was practicing with a training dummy before glancing over at Felicity, who seemed engrossed with something on her computer screen.

Not that the computers were  _hers_. Essentially, they belonged to him and she was just borrowing them currently...which she had been doing for the past month.

Some night Oliver still couldn't believe that an entire month had passed since Felicity had contacted them and gotten him to chase after her throughout the city. Their arrangement to work together had been meant to be temporary, but it seemed like Diggle had grown fond of the hybrid and she too had developed something similar to friendship with his partner. Oliver still believed it was bullshit, and that Felicity was just waiting for the opportune moment to stab them in the back and take them to her Sire, but the little Nightcrawler had been getting under his skin ever since the day she joined them.

The dreams he was frequently having about her didn't help much to ease the tension that seemed to always rise between them every time they were in the same room.

He was still mad about the way she had walked out of the office that day when he had accused her once again of having a hidden agenda with joining them, and she was pissed off enough that she only talked to him if it was Hood related.

Not that he minded though. He was actually enjoying not having to spend more time than necessary with her because it made it easier for him to control himself- Not that he  _needed_  to control himself.

Diggle had been spending more and more time with Felicity though. He was helping her train, even though Oliver had pointed out that Felicity had been able to protect herself against the other monsters that had attacked them the night he had brought her in. Felicity had pointedly ignored him and told Diggle that she wanted to learn how to fight better, because she only had basic training and instincts to go on. Oliver had watched them once or twice and he had to admit, the hybrid was picking up the fighting techniques quickly.

Every day for the last two weeks, Oliver had come down to the lair only to be greeted by a new item on his weapons desk. Felicity was apparently fond of tinkering whenever she had free time and she was making up inventions that were actually making his hunting a lot easier (not that he would admit it or, God forbid,  _thank her_  for it). Diggle was the one that expressed both of their gratitude though, and for the time being, Oliver was slowly accepting that the Dark One that he had brought in was ever so slowly becoming an asset.

His mind was slowly treading into dangerous waters and he had to distract himself before he became too soft around the hybrid, like Diggle had become. He went back to sharpening his arrows, preparing for a night of simple patrolling. There had been a few attacks in the Glades these last few days and he recognized the signs of a vampire at work when he saw them. He had been tracking the monster, but come up empty every night that he had gone out early, hoping to catch it. Felicity had set up the computers in the lair so that they would alert them as soon as the police got a call or suspicious tip that sounded familiar to a monster attack. It made his work a little easier, which he also refused to admit.

At times, he would catch himself before he could slip up and thank Felicity for her help. It was becoming a frequent thing and he had bitten his own tongue quite a few times out of stubbornness. Diggle kept telling him that it was okay to show some gratitude but Oliver insistently glared on, shooting arrows at Felicity with his eyes every chance he could get.

The worst thing about it all though, was that Felicity always seemed to sense what he was trying to stop himself from saying, and the corners of her lips would turn up ever so lightly.

Even worse was the feeling he got in his stomach, each and every time he managed to bring a smile to her lips, while telling himself that he hated her for beaming at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

-§-

Oliver returned to the Foundry around midnight only to find Felicity sitting alone on the little cot he got her when she started sleeping there.

"Where's Dig?" he asked, looking around for the older man.

"Shower," Felicity mumbled. "Everything go well tonight?" she asked, looking up at him. He gave her a once over and rolled his eyes.

As if she cared whether it had gone well or not. He could almost bet that she was hoping that he  _hadn't_ caught the vampire that was attacking helpless women.

"I didn't find anything," Oliver replied anyway, putting his bow back in its case before stripping off his hood. He watched as Felicity once again looked down in her lap and frowned when he realized that she was actually reading something...

A brown, leather bound book; his list.

"What are you doing?" he asked, annoyance evident in his tone as he walked up to her.

"I've been going through the names on your list," Felicity answered, still not looking up from the book.

"Why?" Oliver wanted to know. "Are you trying to see if I've crossed off some of your  _friends_?"

It happened so quickly, that Oliver almost missed it. For one very brief second, Felicity visibly  _flinched_ , before returning to look at him impassively.

"Don't be an asshole, Oliver," Diggle's voice sounded from behind him. Oliver turned around and faced his partner who was wiping his face with a towel. Diggle gave him a warning look and shook his head at him, and Oliver almost felt bad for making the comment. Still, a part of him believed he was in the right because he most likely  _had_ taken down some of Felicity's friends.

"It's fine, Diggle," Felicity said before Oliver had a chance to reply to the man. He turned back to face her again when she looked up at him and continued, "I've actually been running facial recognition on all of them." She held up the book and wiggled it a little in the air, "Do you know that some of these people- Hunt, Brodeur, Holder and Daniels- are some of the biggest bads in this city?"

"I am aware of that, yes," Oliver sighed, rolling his eyes at the hybrid. Why was she telling him what he already knew?

"So why haven't you gone after them yet?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

Oliver looked over at Diggle, silently asking him if Felicity was annoying him too, but Diggle didn't seem to bothered with her questions.

"I haven't been able to figure out what kind of monster they are," Oliver admitted, meeting Felicity's gaze.

A look appeared on her face as she glanced down at the list again. He could see the way her eyes moved over the pages as she flipped through them before looking up at him again, "That's probably because they are  _human_."

" _What?_ "

Oliver looked over at Diggle who had spoken at the same time as him. His partner had taken a step toward Felicity at her statement and she looked between them with a confused look.

"Warren Patel, Adam Hunt, Jason Brodeur, James Holder," she read out loud. "They are all human."

"That's impossible," Oliver spat, irritation bubbling up inside of him.

"Highly possible, if you ask me," Felicity said. "I've been around for a while now and  _sure_ , these people dabble with the Dark Ones, but they aren't a part of the People of Darkness."

Oliver stared at her for a moment. "Bertinelli-"

"-was changed four years ago," Felicity finished for him. "If this list was written over seven years ago, he was still human at the time."

Oliver looked over at Diggle with a raised eyebrow. Had Diggle told her about how Oliver had gotten his hands on that list? Had he told the hybrid that had infiltrated their lives one of his biggest secrets?

"You don't know what you're talking about," Oliver angrily protested.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Felicity shrugged. "All I do know is that there is probably more to this list than even  _you_  know, Oliver."

Oliver shook his head and turned his back to her, not wanting to hear another word of what she was saying. Without saying a word, he went to the bathroom and changed. When he was dressed again, he walked right past Diggle who was discussing something quietly with Felicity and snatched the still open notebook from Felicity's hands.

He held it up in front of her face, "You have no business interfering with what's in this book. When Diggle and I choose our targets, you're  _just_  going to help us locate them, as you've been doing so far. You're  _not_  supposed to meddle or comment on anything else.  _Understood_?"

Felicity blinked a few times before slowly nodding. He could tell that she didn't agree with him though, but a small part of him still felt satisfied that he had gotten to tell her off without Diggle butting in or her protesting. Maybe she had finally understood that she had been out of line? The list was personal to him, because of his father and his father's dying wish, and neither Felicity nor Diggle would ever be able to understand how serious he was about it.

He told Diggle goodbye and ignored Felicity when she called out a "Have a good night!" after him. Driving himself home, he was happy to see that everyone else in the house was already asleep.

Tiredly, he walked up the stairs and to his room, throwing off his pants and shirt before crawling into the bed in just his boxers. It was warm in the room and he was exhausted after the long night, but he knew there was no way he was going to get any sleep.

Felicity's words were still echoing in his mind. Could there really be more to the list than he knew?

The first time he laid eyes on the notebook had been a hazy moment that he hardly remembered. It had been right after the Queen's Gambit went down, a day or two into just drifting at an open sea without much food or water. He had been exhausted and half asleep when his father had taken the book out and just looked at its cover before securing it back into his pocket again. It was that afternoon that his father had whispered words into his ears and Oliver had tiredly proceeded to tell him to get some rest.

Then, the loud shot had echoed around them and Oliver had startled awake just quick enough to see the other man that had been in the lifeboat with them tumble over the edge and into the water. His father had looked him in the eyes and told him to right his wrongs before putting the gun to his own temple and pulling the trigger.

Oliver remembered screaming, but most of all, he remembered the way his father's blood had colored the side of the lifeboat and slowly dripped down into the ocean.

He came across the notebook again days later; when he made it to the Island. Memories of seeing his father with the book in his hands was the only thing that made him keep it. At first he had wanted to throw it away, but then he remembered what his father had said about surviving so that he could make it back home and make things right. It didn't make much sense, but Oliver needed something to hold on to. He needed something to remind him of the promise he hadn't even known he had made that day.

" _They use the night as cover,_ " his father had whispered into his ear.  _"Survive, make it home and stop them before they destroy the city."_

It wasn't until years later, after Yao Fei's death- Shado and Slade- that he understood what his father had meant. Starling City had been infected by the disease that was the People of Darkness. Whenever he managed to make it back home, he needed to take down all the people on that list, which he had assumed were the big bad crime lords that had a darker secret than laundering money and killing people... They also had a blood-sucking secret.

Oliver turned around in his bed, looking at the clock on the wall. It was past three in the morning now. Sighing, he turned again, this time resting with his back to the clock. His mind once again filled with memories of his first days on the Island, of his father's demise and the first time he had encountered a Nightcrawler. He remembered the silent vows he had made to his father during one particularly cold night that he had thought he would freeze to death in Yao Fei's cave.

He laid back on his back, thinking about Felicity and what she had said earlier this night. While he glared up at the ceiling, it was clear that there was no way that his demons would let him sleep tonight.

-§-

The week continued in the same way.

Oliver had to exhaust himself out on the streets, trying to find the vampire that was killing people before returning to the Foundry to beat up the set up dummies until he literally couldn't stand anymore. Diggle had driven him home these last few days, mainly because he was to tired to drive himself home.

In some way, his exhaustion proved to be a good thing because the media had picked up on him exiting Verdant while leaning on Diggle's shoulder, and they all assumed that he was just drunk out of his mind, like the old Oliver used to get. His family had talked to him about the sudden down-spiral he was making, but he insisted that he hadn't been drunk in months, but that he was just so tired. His sister seemed to believe him, telling him that he had become way too uptight to actually be able to have the fun that the paparazzi were telling the world he was having. Walter and Moira had just suggested that he should take a few days off of being the manager of Verdant or at least rest at home for a few days instead of going to the office.

He had promptly ignored them and continued on with what he had been doing.

It was his fourth day of a sleepless night and he was sitting in his office, reading reports while dozing off every once in a while. Felicity was "manning the fort" as she had told him herself, telling him to feel free to sleep for a while because she could keep watch for him. He was still adamant with not trusting her, which meant that he forcibly tried to keep himself awake.

He was failing miserably, he realized, when he opened his eyes when he heard a familiar voice on the other side of the glass wall. Raising his head from the desk, he looked over toward Felicity who was talking animatedly to someone.

 _Thea_.

Oliver rose to his feet in less than a second and headed toward his door, preparing himself to fight Felicity if he needed to protect Thea from the hybrid. When he reached the door, he stopped dead in his track when he heard Thea giggling at something that Felicity had said. It seemed like his still sleep-fuzzy brain had thought that Felicity had been about to lose control and attack Thea, when in truth, it seemed like the two of them were talking casually about something and actually...getting along?

Somehow, that scared him more than anything.

"Thea?" he asked, making both his younger sister and the hybrid turn their heads in his direction. "What are you doing here?"

He walked up to stand beside Thea before shooting Felicity a warning look. She seemed to understand that he had thought that she was putting Thea in danger and gave him a short nod before leaning back in her chair, putting more distance between them.

"I have a free period and I wanted to come by and invite you out to lunch," Thea explained. "I tried calling, but you didn't pick up so I decided to drop by."

"I can see that," Oliver pointed out, still feeling tense.

"Then your  _lovely_  assistant here tried to cover up the fact that you were sleeping, and we got talking," Thea said, grinning over at Felicity, who smiled back politely.

It just made Oliver feel even more uneasy. He wanted to get Thea out of there and as far away from Felicity as possible. "So, lunch then?" he asked and Thea nodded.

"Only if you're up for it," she said.

"Of course I am, Speedy," he joked, putting an arm around her shoulders. He looked over at Felicity. "There aren't any meetings that I need to be aware of, are there, Felicity?"

Felicity checked the computer screen before shaking her head, "Nope."

"Why don't you head down, Thea, and I'll join you in a moment? I just need to put the reports in place before we head out," Oliver said, looking back at his sister.

"Yeah, sure," Thea winked, facing Felicity. "It was really nice meeting you, Felicity."

"You too," Felicity smiled back. Thea glanced at Oliver one last time before heading out of the office.

Instantly, Oliver turned back to Felicity, "Don't get any funny ideas while I'm out. I'll call Diggle and tell him to come over and keep you company."

"I'm offended that you think I would even attempt having fun without you," Felicity rolled her eyes before wincing when she realized what she had said. "What I meant to say was that you don't have to worry about me doing anything when you're not here. I mean-"

"I understand what you mean," Oliver bit out, but it was too late, because his mind had already filled with images from his recurring dreams.

That was probably the most horrible thing about his sleepless nights. Those rare moments that he was actually able to get an hour or two of sleep were still filled with vivid dreams about Felicity slowly undressing him with her teeth and nimble fingers.

He suppressed a shudder when he remembered that one particular dream that involved the salmon ladder in the Foundry.

"If it'll make you feel better," Felicity said, finishing a sentence that he hadn't heard at the beginning of. He watched at her pink lips kept moving but he still wasn't hearing anything. All he did, was remember the way that she had smiled at him in his dream– right before she had sunk her teeth into him again.

"Oliver? Are you even listening to me?"

He looked down at her only to see a small smile tugging at her lips. It was almost as if she had been able to read his mind or that she could sense that he had been thinking about her.

"What?" he scowled at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

She took in his defensive posture and shook her head at him, "I was telling you that I can agree to let Diggle babysit me while you're away, if it will make you feel better and I was trying to remind you that Thea is probably waiting downstairs for you."

"Mhm..." he mumbled thoughtfully, once again looking over her face.

"Relax, Oliver," Felicity sighed. "I won't be going on a killing spree when you're not here. I wouldn't deny you the fun of killing me since I know you're looking forward to it."

"Good," Oliver nodded slowly, but he felt kind of bad for the way that her face had fallen.

"I'll see you later in the Foundry," Felicity said. "You don't have anything else scheduled and you probably won't be needed here until tomorrow. Walter has had me prepare some things for the Unidac auction, so I'll be keeping busy here for a while."

"Don't leave Diggle's side," Oliver finally ordered, already texting the older man so that he could come and stay with Felicity while Oliver was out with Thea.

"I promise, I won't," Felicity nodded. "Go, have fun with your sister and for God's sake, get some rest. You look like something that the cat dragged in."

A curt nod later, he was on his way to the door. He hadn't wanted Felicity to see the way his lips had twitched up in a half-smile because he hated the effect she was starting to have on him.

Thea was standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the limousine that she had most likely made her way to Queen Consolidated in from school. "So Felicity, huh?" she winked.

"What about Ms. Smoak?" Oliver frowned.

"Oh, so it's suddenly 'Ms. Smoak' now, is it? Earlier you seemed to be on first name basis with her," Thea grinned as they sat in the limousine.

Oliver recalled that he had called Felicity by her name and internally groaned at himself for slipping up such a way around Thea. It was enough that his younger sister kept questioning where he was all night, but to now have her suspect something between him and Felicity was even worse. He didn't want her to keep digging further into his secrets.

"Felicity is my employee, Thea," Oliver sighed, rolling his eyes at his sister.

"Are you sure that's all? She's kind of gorgeous," Thea casually pointed out.

As if he hadn't noticed.

"Drop it, Thea," Oliver said. "Our relationship is strictly professional."

"If you say so," Thea muttered, crossing her arms. "But she was very sweet, so I wouldn't exactly blame you if you weren't able to keep your hands to yourself."

He shook his head at his sister's antics before telling the driver to head for Big Belly Burger. Checking his phone, he saw that he had gotten a text message from Diggle, telling him that he was keeping Felicity company now and that he shouldn't worry. Felicity apparently also sent her regards, telling him to loosen up and relax with his sister because he clearly needed to get the stick out of his ass.

A chuckle escaped his lips before he could help himself and Thea looked over at him curiously. He quickly put on a serious mask and slipped his phone back into his pocket, ignoring the playful wink that Thea once again shot him.

It was almost as if she too was able to tell what was going through his mind.

-§-

After eating lunch, Oliver and Thea decided to take a walk while they waited for their limo to come back. They had told their driver to circle around for a bit until they called him, so they had a few more minutes until he came back for them.

They were walking down the street when two familiar faces crossed their paths.

"Ollie, Thea!" Laurel Lance smiled at them, covering her surprise at seeing them there.

"Laurel," Oliver smiled back before turning to his best friend, "Tommy."

"Hey man," Tommy said, grinning at him. "What are you two doing here?"

"Oh, I just skipped school to have lunch with Ollie," Thea shrugged casually as Oliver shot her a glare.

"You told me you had a free period!" he accused, but she just grinned at him.

"Maybe you should have  _Felicity_ check my schedule too next time," she teased, elbowing him in his side.

"Felicity?" Laurel piped up. "Who's Felicity?"

Oliver opened his mouth to reply but Thea beat him to it once again, "Oh, she's just Oliver's pretty assistant, but do not fret; according to Ollie, their relationship is strictly professional."

Oliver rolled his eyes at his sister who was on a roll with teasing him, although he couldn't help the bad feeling that was creeping up inside of him.

He knew that he and Laurel were over and that she and Tommy were now happy together. They had been going steady for almost two years now and they were practically living together in Laurel's apartment. Still, he didn't necessarily want either Laurel or Tommy to hear about Felicity. He wanted to keep those two parts of his life separate as much as possible and the way that Thea had managed to so casually bring the hybrid up made him uncomfortable.

"Really?" Tommy grinned at Oliver, his eyes glistening with mischief. "How come you haven't mentioned that you've gotten yourself a secretary?"

"I've been kind of busy lately, Tommy," Oliver said slowly. "I haven't exactly had time to catch up with either of you. What have you been up to?" he asked, desperate to change the subject again.

"Oh, we visited my mom in Central City," Laurel said, looking over at Tommy while smiling. "We stayed there for about a week."

"That's lovely," Oliver said. "How is Dinah?"

"She's good," Tommy replied. "She was busy working, but we managed to squeeze in a dinner so that Laurel could get to know the man that she's been seeing."

"And he was really nice," Laurel said. "We had a great time there though, didn't we, Tommy?" she beamed at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, we did," Tommy agreed, gazing down at her adoringly.

Oliver smiled at his friends, happy that they were happy together. In the beginning it had been weird between them, but two years had allowed Laurel to work through her issues with him, thanks to Tommy. They were back to being friends, in a way, and Oliver would always be thankful for that. He didn't have much time to see them nowadays, since they had both been traveling around the country together whenever Laurel didn't have to work at CNRI, and Tommy was doing his best helping her while also helping Oliver manage Verdant.

It had been Oliver suggestion for Tommy to help him with the club and Tommy had been reluctant at first before finally agreeing. Tommy's father had cut him off, trying to force him to work on his own for a change instead of always relying on his trust funds. Tommy was a good manager and so far, Oliver had only had to help out at the club whenever Tommy and Laurel went on a trip. It was good to be in business with a friend that he knew he could trust, and Tommy, who thought Oliver was hooking up with someone every time he sneaked away from Verdant, helped him with a cover every time Thea tried to find out why he was coming home so late when Tommy was managing the club.

"So, we'll see you at the auction then?" Laurel said, bringing Oliver out of his thoughts.

"Excuse me, what?" Oliver asked, blinking a few times.

"The Unidac auction? Walter is trying to buy Unidac Industries and he insisted that the entire family should be there?" Thea said, frowning at Oliver. "Don't you remember?" Oliver shook his head and Thea sighed. "Well, apparently, Tommy and Laurel will be attending too, so we'll be seeing them there."

"Sounds great," Oliver smiled, still trying to remember when exactly Walter had mentioned Unidac to him. Then he remembered Felicity telling him that Walter had had her looking into some final details for the auction. "We should probably get going now, though. Thea needs to get to school again," he gave his sister a scolding look for lying to him about being free, but Thea just grinned at him.

"Yeah, and who knows? Maybe Oliver will bring Felicity to the auction too so you can meet her," she suggested. "You'll love her Tommy! She's a blast."

"You talked to her for  _five minutes_ ," Oliver pointed out, once again feeling the uneasiness rise in him.

"And that's all it took for her to charm me," Thea grinned before turning to Tommy and Laurel again. "She  _rambles_  and makes the most inappropriate innuendos without actually meaning to. She's adorable."

"Careful, Thea," Laurel laughed, "I think you might actually have a crush on this girl."

"You'll see for yourself when you meet her," Thea said. "I don't know how a brooding ass like Oliver managed to find such a wonderful person."

 _She's not wonderful! She's a monster_ , the protective part of Oliver's brain screamed. He needed to get Thea as far away from Felicity before she got attached to the blonde hybrid. Things could go horribly wrong if the monster managed to crawl her way inside Thea's heart too.

_Too?_

He wanted to bang his head against a wall for his brain's slip.

"Well," Tommy grinned, "I can't wait to meet this secretary of yours that has Thea so smitten." Oliver looked into Tommy's eyes and he instantly knew what his best friend was thinking. Tommy had been trying to figure out who Oliver was "dating behind his back" for months now and now that Oliver had suddenly hired a new assistant- a  _gorgeous_  assistant according to Thea- his best friend's curiosity seemed to have been piqued.

"Stop teasing poor Ollie," Laurel said.

"Thank you, Laurel-" Oliver began, but Laurel continued before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"He'll let us meet the girl when he's ready to start sharing her with the world," she smiled, making Oliver groan as he rolled his eyes at his friends and his sister.

"Okay, enough of all of this," he said as he spotted the limousine arriving. "Thea, say goodbye and get in the car."

"Bye guys," Thea waved happily before practically skipping over to the limo and getting in.

"Stop encouraging her," Oliver told Tommy. "It's bad enough that she  _likes_  Felicity, so she doesn't need you filling her head with ideas that I've been seeing Felicity behind her back."

Tommy held up his hands in surrender, "I said no such thing."

"Your eyes were implying it," Oliver said. "Either way, I'll see you guys at the auction apparently."

"Sorry, Oliver," Tommy grinned, "but yeah, we'll see you at the auction."

"Bye, Ollie," Laurel smiled as she and Tommy walked away, hand in hand. Oliver looked after them for a moment before smiling to himself. It was only a matter of time before Tommy got down on one knee and asked Laurel to marry him.

And honestly?

Oliver couldn't be more happy for his friends.

-§-

"Carl Rasmussen was murdered last night," Diggle told him when he entered the lair later that evening.

Oliver recognized the name from his father's list and frowned, "And?" He could tell that there was more to the story.

"Apparently, James Holder has been killed too," Diggle said. "Gunshots, most likely a sniper."

Oliver looked over at Felicity who was typing furiously on her computer, waiting for her to comment on the matter. She hadn't changed out of her work clothes yet, which meant she ha most likely figured something out while she had been at the office so that she had had to get to work on it the moment she arrived in the lair.

"Both of them are on your list," Felicity said, "along with two other people who were also shot within this week. Someone has been targeting the same people as you and I hardly think it's a coincidence."

"And what are you doing now?" he asked the blonde hybrid as he watched her fingers fly over the keyboard at an impossible speed. It was clear that she enjoyed her hybrid advantages when working.

"I'm hacking the police department so I can get the coroners reports," Felicity explained. "I figured there needs to be a pattern there somewhere, since it's most likely the same shooter."

She took up four files on the screen as Oliver walked closer to stand by her side. He watched her eyes fly over the words in the reports quickly as she scrolled up and down and wrote down a few things on a small notepad by her side. "I got it," she said, turning around in her chair to look up at him.

That was the moment that he realized just how close he had gotten to her. He swallowed and took a step back, waiting for her to continue.

"It seems like the killer has been using a special kind of bullets when sniping his victims," Felicity said. "It's the common denominator in the reports and so far the police can't find anything else linking the victims."

"What is it, Felicity?" Diggle asked before the hybrid could get into a full-blown rambling session.

"Curare," Felicity said, holding up her notepad with the word scribbled across it in a neat handwriting. "The sniper uses Curare poison to make sure that the wounds are fatal. The poison is what killed two of them, because the bullet barely grazed them, almost as if the shooter had wanted them to suffer before dying."

Oliver looked over at Diggle, seeing his partner's face darken somewhat. There was only one sniper that they knew of that used Curare poison laced bullets when he carried out his kills.

"It's Lawton," Diggle spoke before Oliver had a chance to. "It's Floyd Lawton."

Felicity looked between the two of them, her eyes wide, "You guys know Floyd Lawton?"

"Do  _you_  know him?" Oliver demanded after hearing the tone she had used.

"I've heard whispers of his name before," Felicity said. "He's a vampire mercenary, but out on the streets they call him Deadshot, because he never misses." She twirled around in her chair and clicked on a few buttons, bringing up the police reports on the people that had died from vampire attacks this past week. "It makes so much more sense now," she said.

"Lawton is the vampire that has been attacking people in the Glades," Oliver realized. "He must have figured that it was safer for him to hunt there instead of anywhere else in the city, since most of the Dark Ones reside in the Glades."

"Which means that the police force wouldn't find it out of the ordinary for a few bodies to drop, and also assume that the person sniping Rasmussen and the others was a human," Felicity finished for him.

"It's very thought through," Oliver pointed out.

"It's  _horrible_ ," Felicity muttered, so low that Oliver had barely heard her. "Dig?"

Oliver turned to look at his friend, who had been quiet throughout the whole exchange. He seemed to be in deep thoughts and Oliver could only imagine what he was thinking of.

Floyd Lawton had killed Diggle's brother and he had been the reason that Diggle had joined Oliver's crusade to begin with. They hadn't come across Lawton personally before, and this was the first time that they had gotten a whiff of him in Starling City.

"I need some air," Diggle said. "I have to clear my head."

Before Oliver could tell him that he should stay with them in the Foundry, Diggle walked out without another word, leaving him and Felicity behind.

"Did Lawton kick his dog or something?" Felicity asked after a moment of silence, but Oliver shook his head.

"He killed his brother," he explained as Felicity's eyes widened.

"Oh," she breathed out. "I feel horrible now... Uhm, do you think it's a good idea for Diggle to be involved in this case?"

"Diggle needs this," Oliver told her. "He needs to put his brother to rest in his mind and get closure and the only way he'll be able to do so, is if we put down Lawton."

"Lawton is dangerous, Oliver," Felicity pointed out. "If Diggle isn't in his right mind, he could get distracted, which would make him an easier target."

"Lawton only kills those he's been hired to kill," Oliver pointed out. "He's a mercenary, as you said, and he doesn't get his hands dirty unless he gets paid for it." Felicity nodded curtly as she once again spun around in her chair, starting a search. "What are you doing now?" Oliver asked.

"I'm looking for other cases where Curare has been used to kill victims," Felicity explained. "I figured that if I cross reference the cases, I might be able to see another pattern. I think it's likely that Lawton has been in town before, especially since Starling City had such an established elite within the People of Darkness. If I can find any clue, it might be able to help us find him now."

"That's..." Oliver trailed off, words like 'brilliant', 'genius' and 'amazing' all on his tongue, but he refused to sing Felicity any praises before she actually came up with something else.

"I'm doing this for, Diggle," Felicity said. "If he needs closure, I'm more than willing to help him."

Her fingers traveled across the keyboard so quickly that Oliver barely managed to keep up. Not only did she manage to type at a high speed without missing a letter, but she also managed to skim through reports and read them with record speed.

There was something nagging Oliver though.

While Felicity worked hard on figuring out where Lawton might be staying, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to what Felicity knew about Lawton or not. She had seemed genuinely surprised to hear that they knew Lawton's real name and her explanation as to why  _she_  knew Lawton's name had been vague, much like every other fact she let on about herself.

"Are you really doing this just for Diggle?" Oliver wondered out loud, making Felicity pause in her typing. She seemed to think about it before she sighed and continued writing, eyes never leaving the screen.

"Is it that hard for you to believe that I might actually be selfless and thinking about the well-being of my friend?" she asked him, still not turning around to look at him. In her tone he recognized something akin to defeat and he almost felt a little bad for questioning her out loud yet again. Diggle himself had told him multiple times to cut her some slack, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Diggle isn't your friend," he said, once again speaking to hurt her.

"I think that's up for him to decide, not you," she replied without missing a beat. "But if you really want to know, I think the world would be a better place without people like Lawton in it. Holder and Rasmussen might have been bad people, but they were human and could have been dealt with in another way. What Lawton is doing is just ruthless and I can't just sit here while he kills people who should have had a chance to defend themselves at least."

"And the people that Holder and Rasmussen killed? What about their right to defend themselves?" Oliver questioned, intrigued by what her answer to that might be.

"I told you: Holder and Rasmussen were bad people and I'm not defending their actions. I just think that it could have been dealt with in another way. I bet Lawton didn't even know that Rasmussen had a wife and three children," she said, her voice hollow. "Those three children will grow up without a father and no matter how bad he might have been, they will always feel that loss.  _They_  are the innocent ones, Oliver. That's why I think mercenaries shouldn't exist. They don't question their jobs, they just do them, without thinking about the consequences."

He listened to her without saying a word and he understood what she meant. If it really was true that Holder, Rasmussen and the others she had listed earlier today were human, he would have to reevaluate the way he dealt with his list. He didn't want to take away the parents of innocent children without absolutely having to, which meant that he would now have to think twice before going after a new target.

There was something about the way Felicity had spoken that still made him wonder if there was more to the story. He had a feeling that she wasn't letting everything out yet, so he would continue to be wary about her  _and_  Lawton. There might be something connecting the two of them and there was no way for him to find out without Felicity telling him the truth herself.

He let her continue her work without interrupting her again while he checked his phone for any messages from Diggle. His friend had been away for half an hour now and Oliver was beginning to get a bad feeling. It was getting late and even though he knew Diggle could protect himself against a potential attack against a Dark One, he also knew that Diggle wasn't exactly in his right mind at the moment and could get easily distracted.

"I got it," Felicity suddenly exclaimed, a laugh escaping her lips as she pumped her fist in the air. She turned and faced him and the moment her eyes met his, her grin faltered and her first dropped. "I don't usually get this excited about something, but, uhm..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "Either way, I found him. Or at least I think there's a high probability that I found him."

She picked up a map of Starling City and pointed at a certain location. "The last time there was an abundance of people killed with Curare in town, the majority of the deaths took place in this area. I basically assumed that Lawton would use a remote hotel or motel somewhere within this radius-" she moved her finger in a circle while pointing at the screen, "-and I found a place that would fit his MO according to the stories that were told on the street about him."

"Address?" Oliver asked, already heading for his bow and hood.

" _1700 Broadway_ ," Felicity replied, turning away as he got dressed. He almost smirked at her modesty, but managed to not do so. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Going after Lawton alone?"

"What do you suggest I do?" Oliver bit out, pulling his hood over his head.

"Call Diggle? Let me come with you?"

Her suggestions sounded innocent enough, but he shook his head, "And risk you ambushing me with Lawton's help? No thank you, I think I have a better shot at taking him out alone."

"Diggle should still know that we located Deadshot," Felicity argued. "Call him."

Without thinking, Oliver picked up and threw it her way. She grabbed it just before it crashed to the ground thanks to her inhuman speed. "You call him," he told her. "Let her know that we found Lawton and that I've gone after him, but don't tell him where. I'll handle it and give Diggle the closure he needs."

"Oliver, please wait," Felicity said, standing from her seat. With the blink of an eye, she blurred forward, standing less than two feet away from him. Her speed had surprised him, and he tightened his grip on his bow, preparing for an attack that never came. He blinked a couple of times, searching her face as she held up a small device. "Use the comm link, please? I can help you if you need me."

He watched the small item in her hand, contemplating if he should take it. It would be logical and it wasn't exactly as if it would be the first time he had Felicity in his ear since she joined them in the lair. Yet, he was stubborn and refused to admit that he might need her help.

He took half a step forward, passing the invisible line that separated his space from hers as he towered over her. Gaze dark and half covered by his hood, he spoke with venom dripping from every word, "I will  _never_  need you."

Ignoring the hurt that flashed across Felicity's face, he turned his back to her and ran out out the Foundry and into the night, Lawton's potential hideout the only thing on his mind.

-§-

It turned out that Felicity had been right.

The hotel that she had given him the address to was indeed the place that Lawton was hiding out at and as soon as he had located the vampire's room and forced his way inside, Lawton had retaliated by shooting wildly around him and fighting him in hand to hand combat once out of bullets to fire at him.

Oliver wasn't used to a Dark One using armed weapons, since most of them relied on their strength alone, but Lawton sure was a curious figure. Even when he fought Oliver hand to hand, he didn't bare his fangs at him even  _once_ , which suggested that he had high control of his vampire side.

Vampires were the more sophisticated species among the People of Darkness. They didn't enjoy getting their hands dirty and usually used shapeshifters or werewolves who were considered lower-class in their society to do their bidding. Even among the vampires, there were different species; born vampires and made vampires.

The born vampires were also called  _lamia_  vampires and those could age, much like humans and procreate amongst themselves. These families usually went back centuries and their place was high on the social ladder in the community of the Dark Ones. They showed more restraint than the made vampires, who were simple vampires who had been turned by either dying with vampire blood in their system or simple blood exchange with a vampire. The latter, the blood exchange, usually took a while and was uncommon among the monsters. From what Oliver had learned, the vampires liked to create new vampires quickly and as clean as possible, so it was a lot easier to just feed a human their blood and then kill them. The made vampires were more vicious, but even they could rise in the ranks, much like Frank Bertinelli had done by opening the Black Rose.

Lawton had the restraint of a lamia vampire, but Oliver couldn't know for sure if he truly was one. The only way to know for sure, would be if Lawton himself told him his story, or if Oliver managed to put a wooden arrowhead through the monster's heart, to see if he aged visibly before shriveling up, like Ashley had done when he had put her down.

Felicity had practically been running a supernatural trivia class in the Foundry, Diggle being her only  _real_ student. She explained a lot about the monster's that they hunted and gave them logical reasons for why some weapons worked and why some didn't. Oliver would never actually admit out loud that he listened in with interest, because he would hate it if Felicity actually found out that he thought her information was useful.

He came back to the lair without taking down Lawton, because the vampire had made a run for it and escaped into the night. The only thing Oliver managed to get a hold of, was a computer that had been shot through several times by Lawton when the monster had retaliated.

As soon as he had closed the door behind him when he entered the lair, Felicity sped forward to stand by the foot of the stairs, anxiously wringing her hands together. The sight confused him and he furrowed his eyebrows at her as he passed her.

Diggle was leaning casually against the med-bay, clearly waiting for Oliver to tell him what had happened.

"I found Lawton," Oliver said, unzipping his hood, "but he got away. I did manage to get a hold of his computer though." He held up the device and Felicity quickly blurred over to him, taking it from his hands, eyes wide.

"What did you do to it?" she gaped, looking over the holes in the piece of technology.

"Spilled a latte on it," Oliver sarcastically remarked, rolling his eyes at the blonde.

She shot him a glare and shook her head, "You  _massacred_  it."

"To be fair, it was Lawton that shot it," Oliver deadpanned. "Can you salvage any information from it? It might give us a hint to why Lawton is in town and who his next target is." He looked over at Diggle, who still hadn't spoken. "How are you doing, Dig?"

"I would have been a lot better if you had called me yourself and let me tag along," Diggle told him. "Maybe then Lawton wouldn't have gotten away."

"He's still in town, Dig," Oliver sighed.

"Yeah, and now he knows that the Hood is hot on his trail," Diggle glared. "You should have had backup. Things could have gone wrong, Oliver, but you never seem to take that into consideration. You just  _act_."

"I'm  _fine_ , Diggle," Oliver insisted.

"Yeah, but next time, you might not be," Diggle pointed out. "What if next time, you end up like that computer? What am I supposed to do if you don't even wear your comm just because it gets in the way of your pride?"

Oliver knew that he had made a mistake, but he couldn't very well go back in time and change it now. What was done and he told Diggle as much.

"The only thing we can do now is try to see if we can get any information off of that computer," Oliver said. "I'm sorry for not calling you, Dig."

Diggle shook his head at him, "I'm just glad that you came back in one piece. We'll get Lawton next time."

Oliver nodded curtly at Diggle, glad that the issue was settled for the moment. He turned to look over at Felicity who was connecting Lawton's computer with the computers in the lair, once again typing furiously. Sighing one last time, Oliver went to change, wondering if he should actually apologize to Felicity too for completely neglecting her the way he had. He decided to not say anything to her. Instead, he changed and suggested to Diggle that they spar while Felicity worked the computer.

An hour later, Felicity called them over to her workstation.

"What do you have, Felicity?" Diggle asked, looking over her shoulder at the screen.

"Not much," Felicity admitted bitterly. "The bullets completely killed the poor computer, but I do think I found something important." She clicked on a few buttons and opened a window on the screen.

Oliver narrowed his eyes at it, "It looks like blueprints."

"Do you know of what?" Diggle asked, not seeing a name anywhere on the prints.

"The Exchange Building," Felicity said.

"Why would Lawton have this?" Oliver frowned.

"It's where the Unidac Industries auction is scheduled to take place tomorrow night," Felicity explained. "Carl Rasmussen and James Holder were two of the people that were bidding. I bet if we look up Deadshot's other victims, they too have something to do with the auction."

"He's taking out the competition for someone," Oliver realized. "Who-?" he started to ask, but Felicity interrupted.

"Warren Patel," she said. "I was able to trace back the computer to his company. Patel must have hired Lawton to take out his competition before the auction takes place."

"So now we can assemble a potential list of targets," Diggle pointed out. "That's some good work, Felicity."

"Thank you, Dig," Felicity smiled before turning to Oliver. Her smile dropped as she met his eyes and she turned serious again. "Is this a bad time to point out that your stepfather is planning on bidding?"

Oliver sighed, cursing himself for forgetting that Walter and the rest of his family, including himself were supposed to attend the auction tomorrow night. "My family will be there tomorrow and so will Laurel and Tommy," he said, looking at Diggle. "How big do you think the risk is that Lawton will be targeting Walter tomorrow?"

"His next target can be anyone that's bidding, with the exception of Patel," Felicity pointed out. "Do you think there's any way for us to get Walter to back away from this deal?"

"Hardly," Oliver said. "You told me yourself how hard he's had you working on preparing for this auction. There's no way that he'll back away now."

"Felicity, bring back the blueprints," Diggle instructed and Felicity immediately accommodated. Diggle pointed at the screen, "The Exchange Building is surrounded by three towers with eye lines into the building. Lawton could get a kill shot off from virtually  _anywhere_."

Quietly, they contemplated what Diggle had said. Felicity was the first one to speak after two minutes of solid silence. "Is there anyone you can ask for help? Even if the  _three_  of us attend this thing, we won't be able to protect everyone there. Sure, your family would be covered, but everyone else..." she trailed off, allowing them to fill in the rest of the sentence for themselves.

"Detective Lance," Oliver spoke after a while. "The police force could raise the security for the auction if they got a tip."

"Lance hates your guts," Diggle pointed out. "Both Oliver Queen and the Hood. Why would he listen to you?"

"He wouldn't have a choice," Oliver said. "No matter how much he hates the Hood, he wouldn't risk the lives of innocent people."

"Excuse me, but who exactly is Detective Lance?" Felicity piped up.

"The detective that has been hunting me for two years," Oliver replied dismissively.

"He's also the father of Oliver's ex-girlfriend," Diggle said.

"Wait, so he's the father of that girl that was with you on the boat too? I read about that when I researched you after I found out you were the vigilante," Felicity said.

Oliver actually flinched, hating to be reminded of his past mistakes. The fact that Felicity had researched him before contacting him didn't escape his attention, but he didn't comment on the matter.

Instead he thought about Detective Lance.

Detective Quentin Lance was the father of Laurel and Sara Lance. He was one of the few cops in Starling City that hunted him without actually knowing the whole truth. Oliver still couldn't understand how the police chief had managed to keep the information about the Hood's killings secret from the detective, but Lance seemed to believe that the vigilante was killing innocent people.

It was clear that the police chief was keeping Lance in the dark, always making up stories about why the 'victims' looked like they did. Lance was one of the good ones and it was probably because of his high moral standards that he was being kept out of the loop on the Dark Ones.

Oliver himself had encountered Lance a few times since he had returned from the dead. Lance had accused him of being the vigilante at one time, but with Diggle's help, Oliver had managed to clear his name. Lance hated Oliver with every fiber of his being and still blamed Oliver for the death of his youngest daughter, Sara.

_Sara._

The memories flashed before his eyes and he felt that horrible sting of guilt and grief that he felt every single time someone reminded him of what pain he had caused the Lance family. If he could somehow go back in time, he would do a lot of things differently, but there was no going back.

"Do you agree, Oliver?" Diggle asked, forcing him back to reality.

"On what?" he asked, still a little dazed from where his thoughts had gone.

"The three of us being at the auction while you convince Lance to put in extra security on the surrounding buildings?" Diggle explained.

"The three of us?" Oliver frowned, looking down at Felicity. "And how is  _she_ supposed to fit into the mix?"

"Didn't you hear  _anything_  of what we said?" Felicity glared at him. "Diggle will be there as your bodyguard, but since you clearly don't need one, he'll actually be keeping an eye on your mother and your sister."

"That still doesn't explain why  _you_  have to be there," Oliver almost growled in annoyance.

"I helped Walter prepare for the auction and I'm supposed to be your assistant," she replied calmly.

"But you still don't have an invitation," Oliver narrowed his eyes at her.

A slight blush crept up her cheeks and Oliver turned to Diggle, who smirked at him before speaking.

"But  _you_  have a  _plus one_."

-§-

Felicity was  _fidgeting_  next to him as Diggle drove them to the Exchange Building. Oliver was trying incredibly hard not to look at her, hating the stupid plan that she and Diggle had basically forced upon him.

Oliver had argued long and hard for Felicity to  _not_  attend the auction at all, but unfortunately, Diggle and Felicity had ganged up on him, basing their arguments in Felicity's ability to pick up sounds before any of them did, thus giving her an advantage if Lawton fired against them.

So now, here he was: sitting next to a dressed up Felicity, on his way to an auction with her as his date.

On a more positive note, he had managed to get Detective Lance to send in extra security for the event, which made him feel at least a little bit more relaxed, but not by much.

"Will you  _stop_ moving around?" Oliver growled at Felicity, who froze in her seat beside him.

"Sorry, but I'm trying to figure out a way to do something without you seeing me," she shot at him, just as bitterly.

"Do what?" Oliver frowned, looking at her suspiciously.

Felicity's eyes flickered over to meet Diggle's in the rear-view mirror.

"It's alright, Felicity," Diggle told her. "You don't have to hide it."

Felicity sighed deeply before reaching down under the seat and bringing up a blood bag of O-negative. Oliver raised his eyebrow at her as she blushed, "It's for extra strength. I know I told you that I don't have to drink blood to survive, but drinking it works like an energy drink. My vampire side is enhanced and I can react faster and hear much better. We thought it would be okay to make an exception tonight."

Oliver watched her with disgust as she pierced the bag with her fangs and began emptying its contents. " _We?_ " he wondered, narrowing his eyes at Diggle.

"It's a blood bag, Oliver," the older man sighed. "She hasn't killed anyone for it."

"But what if the blood makes her irrational? What if she's gone without it for so long that she suddenly starts craving it and kills everyone on the auction," he snapped, raising his voice.

"Why do you always have to be so negative?" Felicity frowned at him after finishing the bag. She licked her lips and put the bag back under the seat. She took out a compact mirror from her clutch and checked her teeth as if to make sure that they weren't stained with blood. Oliver felt sick at the sight.

She turned to face him again and grinned, her eyes getting that golden hue for a millisecond, "Have some faith."

Oliver didn't reply, because they had finally arrived at their destination. He looked over at Felicity who slipped off the coat she had been wearing, now finally revealing the red dress she wore underneath. She put the little mirror back in her bag before looking back at him, bright blue eyes glistening with an innocence that he knew wasn't there.

"Well? Are we going to sit in here all night or are we going to make sure that your family is safe?" she wondered.

He shot her one last glare before opening the door to the limousine, grabbing her hand roughly as he pulled at her a little to exit the car. Flashes of the paparazzi's cameras blinded him as he put on his playboy smile, grinning at the crowd that had been expecting them.

Ignoring the tingles that went through his hand as he wrapped his arm around Felicity's waist, pulling him closer into his side, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "We need to get inside before you end up on the front page of every magazine in town."

She squeezed his arm, looking up at him with a smile on her lips as she whispered back, "Don't worry, I'll hack them and erase all evidence of my existence."

-§-

Oliver watched as Felicity as she easily slipped into the role of his assistant, mingling with the crowd, talking casually about everyday topics and impressing the potential bidders with her brilliance.

He sipped on his champagne, trying desperately to keep his annoyance at the hybrid at bay as he watched her wrap all the men in the room around her little finger.

"I noticed you invited Felicity as your plus one," Thea spoke up from behind him, making him turn around and force a smile.

"She mentioned that she didn't have anything better to do and I didn't want to come here alone," Oliver quickly made up on the spot. "I mean, God forbid that Oliver Queen attends an event without a pretty girl on his arm."

"Oh, so you admit that she's pretty then?" Thea teased, nudging his side lightly. "I'll make sure to pass that on to her."

"It was a figure of speech," Oliver glared at his sister before turning his attention back at Felicity.

The red dress that she was wearing clung to her body perfectly. The bodice was a little tighter, with a sweetheart neckline that made her neck look exquisitely long and elegant. The rest of the material flowed out a little at her hips, but it seemed so incredibly soft that as she walked, she almost looked as if she was floating on air, the fabric moving around her legs. Around her neck, she had a simple diamond necklace that Oliver had forced her to wear. The little stone had been embedded with a tracker because he didn't want to risk her running out on him and Diggle if she suddenly decided to jump ships and join Lawton instead. According to Diggle, he was being paranoid and rude, but Felicity agreed to wear the necklace, if only to ensure that he would be able to feel a little more relaxed.

"Then why do you keep staring at her?" Thea smiled at him.

"I'm just keeping an eye on her," he said, being truthful for the first time in forever. "I don't want her to get into trouble."

"I don't think anything remotely exciting will happen here tonight," Thea rolled her eyes. "I'm only here for Walter."

"One can never be too careful," Oliver muttered, watching as his mother and Walter approached Felicity. He took that as his cue as he left Thea briefly to join his  _fake_  date.

"Oliver," his mother beamed at him, leaning over to press a light kiss to his cheek.

"Mother," he smiled back. "Walter," he shook the man's hand before securely resting his hand on Felicity's lower back.

"We didn't know that you had invited  _Felicity_  as your plus one," Moira stated, trying to sound polite. Oliver though could hear that she didn't like the idea of him having Felicity accompany him to the auction, and Felicity herself probably heard it too because unconsciously, she moved just a little bit closer to him.

"It was sort of a last minute thing," Felicity explained.

"Well, I think it's lovely to have you here for support, Felicity," Walter smiled at her. "You two enjoy your evening and for God's sake, don't forget to dance. If we play this right, we might gain another asset tonight!"

Felicity giggled nervously as Walter led away Oliver's mother, who shot yet another warning look at Oliver.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that your mother hates me more than you do," Felicity stated.

Oliver rolled his eyes and reached for two champagne flutes when a waiter passed them by, handing one of them to Felicity. "Don't worry, Felicity," he told her. "I think I still have the honor of having that title."

"Mhm..." Felicity hummed absentmindedly as she looked up into his eyes. She sipped on the champagne he had given her without saying another word and Oliver once again felt those pesky little feelings bubble inside of him.

He would be blind to say that Felicity wasn't a beauty and he would be lying if he said that he  _hadn't_  noticed how wonderfully her dress clung to her body. Still, he would probably deny it with his dying breath that he actually found the hybrid somewhat attractive, but he couldn't allow himself to get distracted.

"Still to the plan, Smoak," he told her. "You keep an ear open and an eye on Walter and my mother while Diggle watched Thea from afar. I'll keep an eye on them as well as keep an eye on  _you._ "

"In that case, I hope you're as good as me at multitasking," she quipped,  _winking_  at him before she stepped away from him.

He watched her as she walked, hating the way his stomach tightened at the sight of her hips swaying, almost sinfully.

-§-

Felicity had been walking around casually in the room while listening intently to her surroundings. Heartbeats and the sounds of police officers at their stations were filling her head and she had to close her eyes for a minute to try and concentrate on hearing anything that was out of the ordinary.

Nothing.

There had been no sign whatsoever of Lawton and Felicity was beginning to wonder if there was a possibility that she had been wrong about her findings and deductions. She looked around the room, bored out of her mind when suddenly someone approached her. For a moment she froze and looked around the room, trying to locate Oliver in case the person approaching turned out to be Lawton or something. Then, she relaxed when she recognized the face that she had looked up after Oliver had left the lair the night before.

"Detective Lance," Felicity spoke without thinking, making the man halt in his steps.

"Do I know you?" the detective asked, his voice rough.

"I'm Felicity Smoak," she said, extending her hand for him to shake. "I work for Mr. Queen," the detective's eyes darkened, "which I now realize I probably shouldn't have led with. I, uhm,  _read_  about what happened to your daughter and I'm really sorry for your loss... Even if it happened seven years ago, so you probably don't want me to bring it up... Sorry," Felicity flinched.

The detective eyes her for a moment, blinking a couple of times. It was clear that he didn't know how to react to her ramble, but he still shook her hand.

"You work for Queen?" he asked and she nodded.

"I'm his Executive Assistant," Felicity smiled.

"Sounds like a fancy word for 'secretary,'" Lance snorted. "And I'm guessing that he brought you here tonight?"

"We're friends," Felicity said quickly. "But that isn't why you approached me, is it? Is everything alright?"

The detective eyed her suspiciously for a moment, "We got a tip from someone that something might be going down here tonight. I was just making rounds when you stopped me from walking past you."

Felicity felt a blush rising on her face, "Oh. Well, that sounds interesting."

Lance's lip twitched as he looked at her, but he didn't move to walk away yet.

"I heard that you were assigned the vigilante case," Felicity said casually. "How is that going for you?"

"Are you mocking me, Ms. Smoak?" Quentin asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh," Felicity's eyes widened. "No! Not at all! I was just trying to make conversation, but apparently I'm only able to do so by insulting you."

A low chuckle escaped the detective and Felicity prided herself in breaking through his defense.

"It's hard to believe that someone like you keeps up with vigilante news," he pointed out.

"Should I be taking  _that_  as an insult?" Felicity grinned.

"You decide that for yourself," Quentin said. "Why so interested in the vigilante? He's a dangerous criminal that needs to be apprehended. Not someone that you should be worrying about."

"I don't think he's dangerous," Felicity said thoughtfully.

"He's a murderer," Lance pointed out.

"He's saved a lot of people too though, hasn't he?" Felicity challenged. She was talking of the few cases that Oliver had helped solve, thus saving innocent people from being wrongfully imprisoned. They were a rare occasion, but Diggle had told her that Oliver helped out his ex-girlfriend Laurel from time to time with cases because he still had a soft spot for her.

"That doesn't make up for the bad things he has done," Quentin said bitterly.

Felicity hated that she wasn't allowed to tell Lance the truth. If he knew that Oliver- the Hood- was actually saving innocent people all the time by killing the murderous monster's that prowled the streets, he surely would see things differently.

"I still believe that the vigilante is capable of doing a lot of good," Felicity said. "My interest in him is purely because he's a mystery that I can't seem to solve, but from what I've read and heard, there is good in him too, even though he's killed people. He must be sacrificing a hell of a lot of his own life in order to be so devoted, and I know that even you detective can't say that the crime rate hasn't dropped drastically since he came to town."

"You seem to know an awful lot about the Hood, Ms. Smoak," the detective narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't know anything about him," Felicity said calmly. "I'm just telling you what I see every time I read about the good things he has done for this city. The people he's been taking down have all been bad, Detective. Doesn't that essentially make him  _good?_ "

The detective stood there, taken aback by her words. He gave her a once over before his eyes shifted to something behind her and she turned around just in time to see Oliver approaching, fake smile in place.

"Detective," he nodded, once again resting his hand on her hip. Why did his touch seem to  _burn_  her? It was as if every nerve cell on the area that he touched was set on fire and she knew that she shouldn't be feeling that way about him, especially not since he hated her.

"Queen," Lance spat, anger bubbling up in his tone.

"Would you mind excusing Ms. Smoak for a moment? I believe I owe my date a dance," Oliver said casually. Felicity looked up at him, startled.

Sure, Walter had suggested that they dance, but never in her immortal life would she have believed that Oliver would actually  _do it_  with her. She scolded herself for the sudden trail of thoughts that made its way into her brain and the vivid images of Oliver doing something else entirely with her that invaded her mind.

Oliver tugged lightly on her, forcing her to turn her back to the detective before she could even say goodbye.

"Ms. Smoak?" the detective called after her and she forced Oliver to stop moving.

"Yes, Detective?" she called back.

Ignoring that Oliver was standing right beside her, the detective spoke, "Don't allow yourself to get attached to Mr. Queen. You don't know how bad he could be for you."

Felicity felt Oliver tense beside her, but she only smiled back at the detective. "Don't worry, Detective Lance. I know just how dangerous Oliver can be."

With that, she turned her back to Quentin and allowed Oliver to lead her out on the dance floor.

-§-

Oliver rested his hand lightly on Felicity's waist, trying hard to ignore the currents that spread through him when she put one of her hands on his shoulder and he took a hold of her other one.

He hadn't liked seeing her talk to the detective, and he had to admit that he had been worried that she might slip up somehow in front of Lance when he had decided to approach them.

He had been conversing casually with Tommy and Laurel, who had arrived a little late to the auction, before making his rounds and checking up on Thea and the rest of his family. Diggle had made sure to tell him that he had an eye on the other Queen's and that he shouldn't worry about them, but worry about the people he loved was something that Oliver did the best.

When he had walked toward Felicity and Lance, he had overheard part of the conversation between them.

Why had Felicity defended the Hood-  _him-_  in front of Lance? What could she possibly gain by making him out to be some kind of  _hero_? Had she known he could hear her? Was she trying to trick him into believing her?

There was only one way to find out.

"I heard what you told the detective," he informed her as they swayed lightly to the music that was floating around them. His words had come out a lot calmer than he had expected them to. "You were defending me...  _Why?_ "

Felicity looked up at him and pursed her lips, rolling her eyes, "Contrary to what you may think, I don't actually hate you."

"It's hard to believe you," he said, twirling her around once before drawing her in closer again, "especially since  _your kind_  have a knack for tricking people."

"I think you have hybrids confused with fox spirits, which don't actually exist," she teased lightly before turning serious. "I contacted you because I genuinely believe that you can save this city, Oliver."

"And yet, you still haven't told us  _why_  you contacted us," he said, his grip tightening ever so lightly on her hip. She didn't seem too bothered by it though.

"I will, soon," she promised. He nodded curtly as he kept swaying them back and forth on the dance floor.

There weren't a lot of people dancing, but they weren't the only ones. He was too distracted by the way Felicity's body felt this close to him to actually notice the people around them and he was starting to realize just how thin the ice he was treading on was.

"You say that you don't hate me," he said, "even though I have given you plenty of reasons to do so?" It was stated as a question and Felicity seemed to contemplate it for a moment.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and Oliver fought the sudden urge he had to capture it with his own as he waited for her to reply.

"To be honest," she sighed, "you annoy the crap out of me from time to time, but I still feel like I can trust you..." she trailed off, looking up at him with those baby blue eyes, all innocent again. "Why is that?"

"I don't know," Oliver replied, "maybe you have a death wish?"

Her face visibly fell at his words, "Maybe..." She looked away from him and he felt a pang of something inside his chest:  _regret_.

"I didn't-" he cut himself off abruptly when he realized that he had been about to apologize and say that he hadn't meant it. Why should he feel sorry for hurting her, when all  _her kind_  ever did was hurt people?

"It's okay," she told him, squeezing his shoulder lightly, almost as if she had read his mind. "I understand that you still don't trust me, and it's okay. I'll win you over sooner or later," she smiled. "I'm charming like that."

With those words she removed her hand from his grip and instead wrapped both arms around his neck, forcing him to in turn rest both of his on her waist as they kept swaying softly. Next, she did something even more unexpected. She leaned against him and rested her head against his chest, right over his heartbeat. For some reason, he couldn't help the small smile that her comment had evoked and he allowed himself to let go of his anger at the Nightcrawlers just for a moment, knowing that she couldn't see the grin on his face.

Everything seemed to be okay for a while as they danced. He was still feeling warm because of the close proximity to Felicity and he had to force his brain into focusing on anything other than how she seemed to perfectly fit against his body. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend that Felicity was human and he could imagine what it would have been like to have known her before the Island.

Everything was fine for a while, until Felicity tensed in his arms and stopped moving.

With her head still resting against his chest, she spoke in a whisper, "I know you can hear me, Lawton."

-§-

For the first time in over a month, Felicity found herself having fun.

Sure, Oliver was being kind of rude to her, but at the same time, his quips held a hint of humor and a teasing tone. She wasn't sure he was aware of the way he sounded though, but it still felt nice to hear him talking to her without all the hostility.

He had seemed genuinely surprised that Felicity would defend his vigilantism and she wondered whether it was because she had defended his mission to kill the Dark Ones or if no one except for Diggle had believed in him before.

Either way, as they swayed slowly to the music, Felicity felt somewhat at peace. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, allowing her hybrid hearing to work more effectively. For a while she concentrated on Oliver's heartbeat, surprised to hear that it had sped up slightly since they started dancing. She decided to blame it on him being nervous about Lawton and worried about his family, because there was no chance that it had anything to do with  _her_.

She cut out the sound of his beating heart and the people who were talking around them, the music disappeared as she concentrated and soon she was able to hear what was happening on the streets outside. Cars honking and speeding through the night, but they didn't matter. If Lawton was somewhere in the surrounding area, he would be up high so that he would be able to get in a kill shot. She was glad that Diggle had agreed to let her drink blood tonight, because it enhanced her hearing several times over. If she focused hard enough, she might actually be able to hear the music from Verdant; that was how much a good bag of blood affected her hybrid powers.

Then she heard it, the sound of a sniper rifle getting loaded.

Felicity froze in Oliver's arms, taking a deep breath before she spoke, "I know you can hear me, Lawton."

Oliver's grip on her hips tightened a little as he drew his head back so that he could look down at her, but she only looked into his eyes and kept talking.

"Where are you?" she whispered. Oliver cocked an eyebrow at her but she shook her head in such a small movement that it was barely visible. If she was going to try to get to Lawton, she needed to be able to mumble and if she was supposed to do so, she would rather not seem crazy to the people around them. So, it would make sense that she used Oliver and faked talking to him in hushed tones.

She tried her best to focus again and when she did, she heard a low chuckle in her ear, " _Well, this was unexpected._ "

"Where are you?" she murmured back, leaning her head against Oliver's chest again under the pretense of saying something to him. "Which roof are you on?"

" _What's your name Sweetheart?_ " Lawton asked, clearly amused for some reason.

"Does it matter? I know you're in one of the surrounding buildings, which means that I can blow your cover whenever I want," Felicity coldly replied.

She could hear a sharp intake of breath, " _Ah, Ms. Smoak, I see. I would recognize your scent anywhere..._ "

Felicity froze again. "How do you know my scent?" she frowned.

" _They tried to hire me_ _for_ you _, Ms. Smoak,_ " Lawton said, catching her off guard. She took a deep breath of air, feeling Oliver's arms to tighten around her and she understood him. He wanted to know what was going on, but he couldn't make a move. " _They made me visit that cell you were locked up in and even went as far as to shove one of your bloodied shirts into my face._ "

"Why are you telling me this?" Felicity asked, her voice shaking.

" _There's a price on your head, Ms. Smoak. I figured you would want to know,_ " Lawton replied, still as calm as ever. " _Although, if you managed to get away from your Sire and stay hidden for so long, there's one thing I don't understand._ "

"What is that?"

" _Why are you in the arms of Oliver Queen?_ " Lawton inquired. " _You don't strike me as a girl who goes after the rich ones._ "

"I have compelled him _,_ " she lied through her teeth. "I'm just using him to have some fun. I was tired of being locked up."

Compulsion was something that was unusual among the Dark Ones. Some lamia vampires were known to be able to control humans through their brainwashing, but the power seemed to be limited to only the oldest ones. In very few cases, depending on how they were turned, hybrids could compel humans as well. Of course, it was a long shot and she doubted that Lawton would believe that she was one of the lucky ones who had inherited the power.

A chuckle rang through her ear and she had a hard time concentrating on Lawton because there was a commotion on the floor below them, " _Maybe I was wrong about you._ "

"Did you take the job?" she wondered finally.

" _I told them to shove the shirt where the sun don't shine, Sweetheart,_ " Lawton replied, once again managing to shock her into silence. " _I may be a lamia crook, but I don't go after girls who in my eyes haven't done anything wrong; no matter the price._ "

Why wouldn't he take the hit? If the man who had turned her and his people had wanted to catch her and were willing to pay a high price for her capture, then why would a mercenary like Floyd Lawton not take the opportunity to do it for them? Somehow, Felicity got the feeling that there was more to this lamia vampire than she had previously thought...

"And the other people you've killed? Rasmussen and the others? What about them?" Felicity demanded, her hearing not as good as it had been a moment earlier. She was loosing the extra power she had gained by drinking the blood earlier; she was getting tired. "Who are you going to kill tonight?"

" _Why don't you look around for a bit?_ " Lawton suggested. " _I have my eyes set on them and I'll be taking the shot in ten seconds._ "

Without thinking, Felicity pushed herself out of Oliver's arms, startling him as she frantically twisted and turned, trying to find the target.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked, instantly on alert.

"Seven seconds," was all she told him and his face dropped. Felicity looked past his shoulder, to Walter and Thea who were talking on the other side of the room, when she saw it. The small red light was moving between Thea and Walter and the only thing Felicity could do was act.

She ran forward, as quickly as her human speed would allow her. In her ear, she heard the  _click_  of the trigger being pressed and she didn't care whether or not anyone saw her, because she finally sped up in hybrid speed. She managed to get to Thea and Walter and push them to the ground, just as the window broke and all hell broke loose.

-§-

Felicity sat on the med-bay looking over the place in her side where Lawton's bullet had grazed her. The suit jacket that Oliver had given her to cover herself up when she had been questioned by the police laid discarded next to her as she for the hundredth time went over the things that had happened after she had pushed Walter and Thea out of the way.

Lawton's bullet had grazed her side, for one, but she had barely felt it due to the rush of adrenaline. All she had been able to think about was getting Thea and Walter out of there safe, so when Oliver had pushed himself through the crowd and over to them, she had never felt more relieved.

She remembered how Oliver's hand had rested briefly on her shoulder and how he had looked down at her side, seeing that she had been hit. Blood had soaked her red dress, turning it into a darker color but she had felt herself already healing. Instead of saying anything, he had quickly dropped his suit jacket over her shoulders, silently telling her to cover up and then told her to get Thea out. He disappeared from her view and it wasn't until later that Felicity would learn that he had changed into his hood and gone after Lawton together with Diggle.

It had been too late though, because Lawton had managed to escape just before they got to him. The police, mainly Detective Lance, had questioned her on how she had been able to know that the shooter was aiming for Mr. Steele. She just told them that she had seen the red light and that she had watched too many cop-shows to know what that meant, especially with the high security level on the auction.

Thea had approached her soon after, thanking her for saving both her life and Walter's.

"I knew you were special," the younger Queen sibling had told her, right before inviting her to her birthday bash that would be taking place in two weeks time. Felicity had met Oliver's eyes and she had seen that he wasn't too happy about the invitation she had gotten, so she had begun to decline when Walter had stepped in and told her that she  _had_  to come. Reluctantly, she had agreed.

Moira had watched the exchange and she had just thanked Felicity for saving Walter and Thea before telling them that they should all go home. There was something about the way that Moira had spoken that made Felicity believe that the woman couldn't wait to get as far away from the Exchange Building as possible. She couldn't really blame her, but at the same time, Felicity wondered if there could be another reason for the older woman's uneasiness.

"Felicity," Diggle said, bringing her out of her deep thoughts.

"Hmm?" Felicity hummed, raising her eyebrows as she looked over at her friend. Oliver was standing next to Diggle with his arms crossed over his chest, but he didn't speak, only looked at her with an unreadable look on his face.

" _We_  wanted to thank you," Diggle told her, giving a pointed look at Oliver, who kept staring at her, not looking away from her face.

"Why? We failed," she said. " _I_  failed. If I had just managed to locate Lawton sooner, if I hadn't been talking to Lance or the other people in the room, I might have been able to track him down and-"

"Felicity," Oliver interrupted, his tone sharp as ever as he effectively cut off her ramble.

She looked down at her hands in her lap, hating how her face heated up and how she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes.

"This was the first time we have ever been able to get a trace of Lawton," Diggle said calmly, "and we wouldn't have been able to do it without  _you_."

"I'm sorry that you didn't get him, Dig," she confessed. "Your brother..."

"We'll get him next time," Diggle promised, walking up to her before he put his hand on her shoulder. Her mind went to earlier tonight when Oliver had touched her shoulder and she couldn't help but think how different the two touches were. "Until then, you should be proud of what you did tonight. You saved Thea and Walter, and probably everyone else in that room. You got shot doing so."

"It was just a graze," Felicity blushed. "And the Curare won't kill me. It's already healed."

"Still," Diggle said. "We owe you a big thank you and we appreciate everything you did tonight."

She glanced over at Oliver who was still intently staring at her. He hadn't spoken a word since he had said her name and she wanted to know what was going through his mind.

"I'm heading home and you should get some rest too," Diggle sighed. He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead and she closed her eyes, feeling  _safe_. With one last squeeze on her shoulder and one last look in Oliver's direction, Diggle got his jacket and got out of the lair, leaving Felicity alone with Oliver.

They stared at each other for a moment and she could tell that he was torn. He hated her, but he couldn't deny that she had saved both his sister's and his stepfather's life tonight. Wordlessly, Oliver turned around and headed over to the small fridge he had installed. He opened it and took something out before walking over to her hesitantly.

He put the item he had retrieved in her hand and looked into her eyes intently, "Good night, Felicity."

With those words, he walked away from her and out of the lair. She let out a small breath that she hadn't known she had been holding and looked down at the blood-bag he had given her. What could it mean? Was it some kind of a sign that they were heading for a truce? Why would he give her a blood-bag, when she knew how disgusted he had been with her earlier that night for drinking the red liquid?

Was it a test?

Felicity looked at the bag in her hands, wondering whether or not she should drink it. It would make her feel stronger and heighten her abilities, but would she be needing that any time soon?

Her mind traveled to what Lawton had said to her tonight. There was a price on her head and her enemies might be coming after her. Her time was slowly running out and if the blood-bag was any kind of sign, she might be starting to earn Oliver's trust. She had to tell him what she knew about the People of Darkness and their plans for the city, but she  _needed_  to earn his trust first.

Sighing deeply, Felicity opened the bag of blood and put it to her lips. If the man who was responsible for turning her was still looking for her and was willing to hire people like Lawton to get to her, she needed to be prepared. She needed to be able to fight them and protect the people she had begun to care about.

So tonight, Felicity drank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh! Oliver GAVE Felicity a blood bag, despite being 'disgusted' about it all! And Thea joined the story officially and so did Laurel and Tommy! There will obviously be more Tommy in the upcoming chapters, but you'll just have to wait a little! ;)
> 
> Since this chapter was so long, I'll see if I'll be able to write the next one this week because I have some school work that needs to get done too. If I don't manage to finish the next chapter in time, I hope you'll understand, but please: Do give me that special push by leaving a comment! :)
> 
> Oh, and BTW (haha, to those who saw the premiere), tell me what your FAVORITE part of this chapter was AND what you're looking forward to seeing happen next! :D
> 
> Thank you for reading! :) xx


	8. The Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's resolve is breaking, but he worries how Felicity will be able to resist the temptation of darkness at Thea's birthday party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! :D
> 
> I'm sorry for the delay on this one, but those of you who follow me on tumblr know that I've had a lot of school work this week that hasn't been letting me write. This chapter might be a little shorter than the last one, but it passed 12k so it's still long in my mind ^^
> 
> Either way, I just wanted to say that there's another dream in this chapter that is *cough cough* a little naughty... (Still toying with the idea of raising the rating...)
> 
> Now, please enjoy the new chapter of Hunted! =)
> 
> Oh and I haven't proof read the chapter as well as I would have liked to, so if you see any HUGE mistakes, feel free to tell me and I apologize for them! =)
> 
> P.S. It'll be my birthday tomorrow (24th of October), so please make me extra happy with a nice comment in the end! :)
> 
> Thank you for reading and supporting!

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **8** **: The** **Birthday**

* * *

The days that followed the Unidac auction were confusing for Oliver, to say the least.

When he had gone home that night after giving Felicity the blood bag, he kept questioning his own sanity. He knew that his walls were slowly breaking when it came to the hybrid, but he was still too proud to admit it to her or Diggle. What she had done that night, for Walter and for Thea...it had been an amazing, albeit slightly  _horrifying_  display of power. It terrified him to know that Felicity's powers had been so enhanced by a single bag of blood, but yet, he hadn't been able to stop himself from giving her the bag before he had left her. He had seen her fight Diggle on the training mats several times already and he knew that it wouldn't take much of her effort to overthrow both him and his partner if she wanted to escape. Still, he had given her the one thing that would make her even more powerful against them.

He had tried fighting it, so hard the first few days after the auction. He had tried to remain crass with Felicity and not show her that his resolve was breaking. Neither of them had mentioned the blood bag again and Diggle hadn't tried suggesting that Felicity should take in any more blood since the event.

Instead, Oliver found himself leaving a cup filled with blood every other day on Felicity's desk as she worked on her computers (because he had also began accepting that they were, in fact,  _hers_ ). She never questioned his decision to give her that little sign of gratitude for saving his sister and his stepfather and every day that Oliver walked down the steps to get her so they could drive to work together, he saw the mug, clean and drying by one of the small cabinets.

He was not ready to start trusting her fully yet though, because a part of him still wasn't sure what had gone down the night of the auction. He remembered swaying with her in his arms as they danced across the floor, right before she tensed and started muttering and whispering under her breath. It bothered him that he didn't know what she and Lawton had talked about and a part of him  _needed_  to know what had gone down between her and the lamia vampire when he hadn't been able to hear.

She had tried explaining to him and Diggle that Lawton had literally ' _just talked_ ' to her and Diggle had for some reason been happy to drop the conversation, sensing that Felicity was reluctant to let them know more. Oliver has naturally sensed her reluctance too, but that only made him want to know what the conversation had been about even more.

Some nights he wondered if Felicity had told Diggle about her talk with the sniper. It was no secret that his partner and the hybrid were closer to being friends than Oliver and she were. After all, at times, Oliver still tried to make himself believe that he hated her.

A week after the auction, Oliver had had about enough of it. It was a rare thing for him and Felicity to be alone down in the lair, but Diggle had gone to get some burgers and Oliver hadn't been able to help himself when he had asked Felicity why she had told Lawton that she was compelling him.

"Can you do that?" he has asked, his voice worried but at the same time hinting at a bit of annoyance. "Control people's minds and make them do you bidding?"

It was a rare power among the Dark Ones, but he had come across it a time or two during the time that he had worked his way up the ranks of the  _Solntsevskaya Bratva_  in Russia during his five years away. There he had seen and learned a lot of things about the People of Darkness and he had seen even the strongest of men crumble when a lamia vampire had forced their minds to cooperate.

"I had to lie to him, Oliver," Felicity had replied. "I swear that I don't have compulsion powers, but I couldn't risk him telling anyone that you were helping me. What if someone connected the dots and figured out you were the vigilante?"

Her explanation had made sense and he had gotten one of the strangest sensations in his stomach when she had once again proceeded to protect him and his secret identity.

"How can I be sure?" he had questioned anyway, and the answer he had needed had been written on her face when she had answered him.

"I would  _never_ use that kind of power, Oliver," she had told him, her voice trembling slightly. "The thought of stripping away someones willpower and taking away their  _choice_ -"

"Okay," he had interrupted, not needing to hear more. Felicity had only looked at him and nodded gratefully before returning to her computers and the search she had started on one of their targets.

In the back of his mind, Oliver could recall the taunting that the lamia vampire Ashley had done during the night that he had first met Felicity. He remembered the fierceness in her voice when she had yelled at the monster that it was  _her_  life and  _her_ choice. His mind then flashed to the time he had refused to allow her to step out of the Foundry during the day and the way she had seemed absolutely crestfallen when the two of them ha argued and she had mentioned wanting the freedom that had been deprived from her since she had been turned into a hybrid.

Freedom was important to her and he understood that she really was telling him the truth when it came to the compulsion. She would never willingly take away anybody's ability to choose and he believed her.

He just didn't know whether or not he should be scared about the fact that he did.

-§-

"So?"

Oliver dodged Diggle's swing and punched back with equal force. "So  _what_?" he grunted, jumping over the leg that Diggle swung out at him to make him loose his balance.

"Are we not going to talk about you getting Felicity a company car so that she can drive herself to the office every day?" Diggle asked, throwing another punch at his shoulder. Oliver lost his balance briefly, but didn't say anything as he kept sparring with the older man.

"There's nothing to talk about," Oliver panted, sweat beading on his forehead. "People are starting to suspect there is more going on between us than just co-workers and it's not really helping that she gets a ride to the office with me every morning."

"And you letting her out of the lair alone in the afternoon to give her new mini a drive? Do you have an excuse for that too?" Diggle smirked his way.

Withing seconds, Oliver had his friend flat on his back on the mats. He walked over to the bottle of water on the desk before starting for the shower. He called out over his shoulder, "We're not talking about it."

Behind him, he heard Diggle let out a low chuckle.

-§-

_He doesn't even know where they are._

_The only thing he's aware of is Felicity; straddling his lap as she works on the buttons of his shirt while kissing her way up the side of his neck._

_Their movements are frantic, his hands tightening on her hips as he pushes her down against him, creating_ lovely _friction where they both need it, before slowly moving under her shirt, spreading across her back as he draws her in closer._

_Lips meet and he swallows her moans when her cold hands finally connect with the bare skin under his own shirt. She raises her hands and puts them on his shoulders, tightening her grip, almost painfully as she grinds down on him, her skirt slowly bunching up around her waist. His own hands travel up too, tangling in her blonde curls as he deepens the kiss._

_The need he feels for her is shocking and he whispers her name against the hollow of her neck before pressing a lighter kiss to her pulse point._

_He needs her._

_He_ wants _her._

" _Oliver–"_

 _Glass shatters suddenly and Felicity freezes above him. Her eyes are wide and he stares at her face, horrified when a small drop of blood drips from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes flash yellow for a brief second before turning back to the blue that is_ her _and they glaze over._

_He looks down and sees the wooden arrow protruding where her heart used to beat. He looks past her, through the window that he hadn't noticed before and sees himself standing there; hood covering half his face, bow still raised._

" _No!"_

_He doesn't recognize his own voice when he cradles her blonde head and gently lays her on the floor, ripping the arrow from her chest. He's shaking her desperately, yelling at her to open her eyes for him, but she doesn't._

_She just stares at the ceiling, eyes empty and blood spreading across her shirt._

_He feels tears falling from his eyes when he turns around to yell at himself for killing her, but the room is once again empty and the window is nowhere to be seen. Instead, there is a wall of mirrors and he sees himself, fully hooded up, looming over Felicity's dead body._

_He doesn't know what to do._

_So he screams._

-§-

" _No!_ " Oliver jolted out of his nightmare, trying to get a picture of his surroundings. He is in his room and it's late, he realizes. It's been a week and a half since the Unidac auction and the dreams that he keeps having about Felicity are still there.

However, this time things were different.  _He_ wasn't the one who ended up this time and he had to admit, that it was a first. Usually, Felicity was the one who killed him in his nightmares that always started out as a heated moment between the two of them, but this time, he had been the one who had killed her.

What surprised him the most though, was that his dream self had actually shown weakness and  _feelings_  for the hybrid that he had put down and actually  _cr_ _ied_  over her dead body.

The dream bothered him throughout the day. He wasn't able to focus in the office at all and whenever he saw Felicity looking out a window, he found himself wanting to stand between her and the framework. Multiple times, he had to force himself to stop thinking about the images that were vividly playing in his mind and he kept questioning why he was so bothered by it.

Sure, he was slowly accepting Felicity's presence and he had acknowledged that she had saved two important people in his life, but that didn't necessarily mean that he  _had to_  trust her, did it? And why should he be  _upset_  if she died? Hadn't it been like a month and a half since he had  _wanted_  to be the one to put an arrow through her? Why would he be so upset over a dream?

"Oliver?" Felicity said his name carefully, bringing him back to reality. "Your one o'clock is here. Should I send him in or do you need a moment?"

He shook his head, "Just send him in."

"Are you sure?" she asked, biting her lip. "You look like you kind of do need a moment. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Felicity," Oliver bit out, almost angrily. He hated that he felt like apologizing when he saw a hint of hurt flash through her face. "Just send him in," he repeated instead of saying he was sorry.

"Okay," she mumbled and backed out of his office. He could see her conversing with the older man that had an appointment scheduled with him and he closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind from the nightmares and thoughts that were still deeply imprinted in his mind.

Later that night, when he was in the Foundry, pounding away relentlessly at a training dummy, he finally decided to ease his mind a little.

"Felicity," he called out as he punched the dummy one final time.

"Yeah?" Felicity called back, not lifting her head to look in his direction. She was deeply concentrated on something on her computer and Oliver decided to just get over himself and go to her. Diggle immediately began preparing for his training session with Felicity when Oliver stepped off the mats. The older man seemed to be determined to at least pin the hybrid to the mat  _once_  before the end of this month, because he had been insisting on training with her every single night this past week.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," he said, leaning against the table next to her.

"Ask away," she told him, still not looking at him.

"How do you kill a hybrid?"

Felicity froze and somewhere in the back of the Foundry, Oliver heard Diggle let out a deep sigh. He could tell that his partner wasn't happy with the question that he had asked the hybrid and Felicity herself didn't seem too eager to answer it.

"Actually, you don't have to answer that," Oliver quickly said. "I just wanted to know whether wood can hurt your kind. For scientific purposes..."

It sounded even worse than his first question.

Felicity though looked at him, almost amused and he realized instantly why.

Every single time that Felicity had been willing to share something about the Dark Ones, to teach Oliver and Diggle things that they hadn't known about, Oliver had insisted that he didn't need her lessons. Now though, he was coming to her willingly and  _asking_  for her help to understand her species a bit better.

"Uhm..." Felicity trailed off for a moment, humming as she thought about what to say, or perhaps she was wondering whether she should be telling him anything at all. Sure, their dynamic had changed a little and he wasn't as hostile as he had used to be around her, but that didn't necessarily mean that either of them trusted each other yet. Her telling him how wood effected hybrids would surely give him more insight in what he could or couldn't use to kill her and he knew that if he- God forbid- was a hybrid, he wouldn't have wanted anyone to know that.

"Wood isn't very effective," Felicity finally replied. "Although, I guess it also depends on  _how_  a hybrid was turned, which is a complicated process all in its own. But, I suppose to answer  _your_  question:  _no_ , it isn't very effective, as I said."

"So it wouldn't kill you if someone stuck a wooden stake into your heart?" Oliver frowned.

"Is this still purely for scientific reasons?" Felicity questioned, her eyebrow raised.

"Of course," Oliver easily replied, surprised by the earnest in his tone.

"As I said, it would depend on  _how_  the hybrid was turned," she repeated, "but generally, wood wouldn't kill a hybrid. A stake through the heart might temporarily incapacitate them, but not necessarily kill them. Wood anywhere else just hurts like a bitch, as does silver, which you use for werewolves, but neither kills them because the two mixed species sort of work against it inside the body."

Her answer was a little confusing, but Oliver seemed to get the main points. "You mean that the werewolf side of the hybrid would stop the wood from hurting the vampire side and the vampire side would respectively render the silver useless against the werewolf side?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Felicity nodded. "Although, as I said, it would still hurt if we were stabbed with a weapon in general, because our bodies would try to heal themselves with the weapon still inside."

Oliver nodded slowly as he looked down at her. She was still watching him curiously through her lashes and his gut tightened when he once again remembered the dream he had had.

"Why are you  _really_  asking me this, Oliver?" Felicity asked, but he didn't know what to say in response.

Thankfully, Diggle decided to interrupt, "Felicity, I've set everything up." Felicity tore her eyes away from Oliver's and looked over at Diggle who was standing on the training mat, hands already raised for a fight against the hybrid.

The little monster looked back at Oliver and tilted her head in question before sighing deeply. When she turned to walk away from him, Oliver reacted without thinking. He reached for her hand and stopped her from walking away and she turned around to look at him, a thousand questions burning in her eyes.

"Why did you tell me all that?" he asked her gently. "You know you didn't have to."

Felicity watched him for another moment before smiling lightly and shrugging. Then she pulled out of his grasp and walked over to Diggle and started sparring.

Oliver watched them, amusement setting in the more frustrated Diggle got. Felicity was quick, especially with the little extra help from the blood that Oliver kept giving her every other night. She managed to dodge Diggle every time and get in a light punch every here and there, but Oliver could tell that she wasn't using her full strength.

If anyone asked him how he had felt when Felicity had proceeded to jump up on Diggle, swing her legs around his waist while using her hybrid strength tho flip them both over on the mat a second before pinning him to the mat, Oliver would deny with every fiber of his being that he had been absolutely  _awed_  by her.

Also, when the hybrid had then looked up at him with a bright grin on her face, eyes shining golden as she met his gaze, he would most likely also deny the fluttering feeling he had gotten in his chest.

-§-

Thea's birthday bash was approaching and Oliver found himself once again worrying. He hadn't been thrilled when Thea had insisted that Felicity needed to come to the party, and he knew that Felicity too had been reluctant to agree to come. Thea though, was still her stubborn self and refused to take no for an answer and in the end, Felicity had been basically forced to accept the invitation.

Despite allowing himself to accept Felicity a little more, a part of him still liked to remind him that Felicity was still a hybrid. Deep inside he might not still believe that she would attack him at any moment, but the part of his brain that still kept him on alert around her was concerned about what a big crowd would to to her.

The Unidac Industries auction had had quite a few guests, but Thea's birthday parties usually consisted of  _at least_  two hundred of her  _closest_  friends. This year, his sister would be celebrating her nineteenth birthday and the venue of the party would be Oliver's own club. Since Oliver was  _so_ busy with Queen Consolidated, Tommy had volunteered to organize the party for Thea.

His younger sister was well aware of the fact that Tommy was in charge, but she hadn't been able to stay away from the planning completely, like she had been instructed to. She tried to look through Tommy's check list a few times, but both Oliver and Tommy had worked hard to keep her eyes off of it.

Oliver really didn't care whether or not Thea found out about the plans Tommy had made, but his best friend wanted it to be the best surprise Thea had ever received ("Besides you coming back from the dead," Tommy had clarified.), so he was determined not to let Thea see anything beforehand.

Oliver's biggest concern was the hybrid that was staying in the lair beneath the club. He was afraid that such a big crowd would make Felicity lose the control she seemed to have on herself around them and succumb to the darkness that might be inside of her.

 _Might be_.

Oliver wondered when he had began questioning whether there  _was_  a darkness inside of her at all.

His worries didn't exactly ease up when Thea started randomly showing up at the office, just to spend time with Felicity. At times Oliver found himself lingering close to the door so that he could overhear what the two girls were talking about and every time that Thea caught him listening, she accused him of being a sneaky older brother that never minded his own business. He couldn't tell her that he was simply keeping watch so that she wouldn't accidentally anger Felicity so that the blonde would feel like ripping out her jugular and instead, he tried to  _politely_  tell Felicity not to get too attached to his younger sister.

Felicity had apologized but promised him that she would never hurt Thea and that if she ever did, she would personally tell him how to kill her so that he could fulfill his wish to put her down. Oliver had sustained from telling her that he actually no longer held any wish to kill her and he had once again been surprised by his own realization.

It was two days before Thea's birthday party that Oliver sat down on a chair next to Felicity in the Foundry. Instead of keeping up her work on her computers this time, like she usually did whenever he walked up to her, she sighed deeply and turned to face him.

"Is everything okay, Oliver?" she inquired.

"Are you absolutely sure that being at Thea's party will be good for you?" he asked bluntly, deciding that it was time he shared his worries with her. Maybe she would see sense in what he was saying and refrain from going to the party.

"First of all, since when do you care if something is ' _good_ ' for me?" she asked, eyebrow raised and lips quirked up in a curious half-smile. "And secondly, is that what's been bothering you these last few days?"

"I just don't know if it's a good idea," Oliver deflected the question. "I mean, what if a bigger crowd makes you all blood-crazed? What if you start killing everyone in the club?"

"Okay, now I'm a little offended," Felicity frowned.

Oliver was thankful that Diggle wasn't in the Foundry yet, because he knew that the older man would most likely be rolling his eyes at him and ganging up with Felicity against him on the matter. But still, he was genuinely concerned about what the outcome of this party might become and he felt like it was better that he shares his thoughts  _now_  instead of being on alert all night long during the event.

"Oliver," Felicity finally sighed. "Listen, you know that I've been drinking blood since the incident at the auction, so don't worry about me becoming 'blood-crazed' in a tight space with a big crowd."

"Are you sure that you'll be able to handle it?" he wondered, meeting her gaze.

"Don't worry about it," she repeated. "Besides, you'll be there, right? If you're really  _that_  worried, you can stay close to me all night to make sure I don't get myself in trouble." She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head, "And by 'close to me', I obviously mean 'at a respectable distance.'"

Oliver fought the small smirk that was threatening to appear on his face and bit back a comment about  _wanting_  to stay close to her.

"Okay then," he nodded anyway. "But I want you to know that I'll be keeping my eyes on you...from a respectable distance." He hadn't been able to help himself from the playful tone and his chest felt strangely warm when he saw a light blush creep up on Felicity's cheeks at his words.

Although if anyone ever asked him about it, he would most likely deny that too.

-§-

Felicity was well aware of the fact that things between her and Oliver were slowly changing. Despite being aware of it, she had refused to talk about it when Diggle had asked, because to be honest, she didn't want to jinx anything.

Oliver seemed to be more relaxed in her presence, even though he might not realize it himself. When he had once again given her a cup of blood, two days after he had given her the blood bag, she had been quite surprised. She had thought the blood bag was a one-time-deal, but apparently, it was Oliver's way of showing her something that he wasn't ready to say yet. He was thankful because she had saved Thea and Walter, but he was still too proud to actually say the words to her himself.

Felicity didn't mind it though, because she was willing to wait until he was ready. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement about not speaking about the change that had occurred between them, but at times, Felicity wanted him to just spit out whatever it was that he was thinking about when she caught him staring at her.

She had been shocked when he had put a pair of car keys on her desk one day, to a red mini that was registered under Queen Consolidated. He reminded her that the car had a built in GPS-system and that she shouldn't get any ideas, but that the car was essentially  _hers_. She had been thrilled and asked him if she could go for a ride before meeting up with him and Diggle in the lair and she had been even happier when he had told her that it was fine.

No matter how much things were changing between her and Oliver though, the biggest change in her life seemed to be the younger Queen sibling.

Thea was insistent on showing up at Queen Consolidated whenever she could, just to have a good conversation with Felicity before leaving. Felicity still recalled the day that Moira had walked up to them and asked Thea what she was doing at the office, because apparently, Thea was supposed to be heading over to CNRI to work with Laurel on something. Thea had simply dismissed her mother by telling her that whatever she had had planned with Laurel had been postponed, because the lawyer was apparently busy with some other case. Moira had shot Felicity a glare before telling Thea that she might  _learn more_  if she hung around Oliver, but Thea insisted that Felicity was  _fun_  and that she could learn much more from a MIT-graduate than a four-time college drop out like her brother. Her mother hadn't seemed pleased about that, but nodded nevertheless.

"You shouldn't talk like that about your brother, Thea," Felicity had said when Moira had left.

"Well, it's true isn't it?" Thea had shrugged. "Besides, I don't mean anything by it, but it's a fact. You're smarter than Oliver."

"There are several kinds of smart, Thea," Felicity had shook her head. "Oliver is one of the brightest, most kind men I have ever met."

Thea had looked amused by Felicity's admission, but she hadn't said anything else on the matter.

Oliver had been letting her walk around and explore Queen Consolidated on her own from time to time, mainly whenever he was stuck in a meeting. Felicity enjoyed going down to the IT-department the most, but she knew she couldn't hang around there all day long. Usually, she went to the cafeteria and got herself something to eat while Oliver was busy and she always brought back a bagel for him, but no coffee.

That was where Thea had found her this day, in the cafeteria, buying Oliver a bagel.

"Oh, hey, Felicity!" Thea exclaimed, happily embracing her. "I was just looking for you upstairs."

"Oliver is in a meeting with the chief of finance without Walter today," Felicity shrugged. "I know the numbers give him a head ache and a bagel usually cheers him up."

"Really?" Thea quirked an eyebrow. "You sure know my brother..."

"It's my  _job_  to know him," Felicity pointed out, holding up the paper plate with the bagel for Thea to see. "You were looking for me?" she asked then and Thea raised two bags in reply.

"I got us Chinese for lunch," she smiled. "No nuts, right?"

Felicity remembered the little lie she had spun about being allergic to nuts, all so that she would seem more human. "Yeah," she nodded, a smile covering her own face.

They settled around Felicity's desk after Felicity put Oliver's bagel in his office and Thea immediately started talking about what was going on in her life. The most recent subject was apparently a guy that she had 'met'.

"Does it really count as a meeting when he stole your purse?" Felicity asked once Thea had finished telling her the story about this  _Roy_  person.

"He gave it back," Thea protested, laughing when Felicity simply raised an eyebrow at her. "And then he saved me from being mugged and most likely raped by some other guys. He got stabbed while doing so!"

"And then you took him to the doctor and he was all cutely afraid of needles- which I completely understand by the way, because I've never liked them either- and you kissed him to make him forget about the sting," Felicity rolled her eyes. "I  _was_  listening to you, you know," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I just feel like this might be something similar to the Stockholm Syndrome."

"Stockholm Syndrome?" Thea asked. "Isn't that the one where the victim falls in love with his or her kidnapper?"

"Or in your case, purse-stealer," Felicity grinned teasingly.

"I'm not  _in love with_  Roy," Thea objected. "I just think he's cute!"

"He's a criminal, Thea," Felicity stated. "I don't think your brother would approve."

"It's a good thing that I don't answer to my brother then, isn't it?" Thea said. "Besides, I might have sort of invited him to Verdant tomorrow."

Felicity gaped at her with wide eyes, "You invited the guy who stole your purse to your birthday party?"

"He gave it back!"

"Definitively the Stockholm Syndrome," Felicity laughed just as Oliver walked in. He sent her a curious look before greeting Thea, but Felicity gently shook her head and he didn't even try asking. Instead, he walked into his office to give the two of them some privacy.

Felicity glanced over at him and saw him take a bite out of the bagel she had bought him before he turned to some reports on his desk. She couldn't help but smile lightly and once again think about the changes that were happening between them.

They had started out roughly and violently, with him hating her and her being annoyed at him for refusing to give her a chance. She had been calling him a prison guard in her mind for a while when he had been extra grumpy about her staying locked up, but things between them were surely looking up. Now, the only thing that seemed to cross her mind when she saw him was how cute he looked whenever Thea made some remark and he actually  _pouted_  at his younger sister.

_Cute?_

She almost scolded herself for thinking it, but she had never really tried to deny the fact that she found Oliver incredibly attractive. To be quite frank, she would have to actually be blind not to see it, and even then his smooth-as-silk voice would probably be enough for her to still find him charming.

So she had gone from feeling like a captive in Oliver's prison, to actually  _kind of_  finding him so attractive that it made her insides tingle every time he was near her...

 _Stockholm Syndrome_ , her brain reminded her, but she chose to ignore it just like she ignored how her heart always seemed to beat a little bit faster when Oliver was close to her.

-§-

The party is in full swing when Oliver arrives after a quick patrol. Diggle had decided to head home earlier and Oliver had changed quickly into his suit before giving Felicity some privacy to get ready. It had been a slow night for some reason and Felicity had tried to explain it by saying that a full moon was coming up soon enough and that the Dark Ones usually gathered strength for those so that they would be able to run around more during those nights.

As Oliver made his way through the throngs of people, pressed tightly together on the dance floor, he couldn't help but wonder whether it was safe for all of them to be there. If something were to happen, he was sure that people would get injured, but he had to trust Tommy's judgment on it.

Tommy had really outdone himself with this party.

Oliver and his best friend used to throw a lot of them during their younger years, especially before Oliver went missing. He could recall 'the good old days' but they didn't really look so 'good' when he thought back at them. Oliver had been a complete asshole and he had had a drinking and partying problem. He had never been serious about anything and the few things he had tried to be serious about (mainly Laurel) he had ended up ruining sooner or later.

Oliver liked to believe that he was a changed man since returning from his five year exile and the people around him pointed out the change in him enough times to confirm his thoughts. Still, he couldn't deny that the beat of the music and the strobe lights didn't make his heart race somewhat. Perhaps it was time he took a minute to actually relax and enjoy himself, and what better place to do so, than at his younger sister's birthday party?

He found Tommy by the bar, giving the bartender strict instructions on checking people's ID before serving them.

"Tommy!" Oliver said, clapping his friend on the back before leaning closer to his ear so that he could hear him over the loud music. "Great party! Thea is going to love it when she gets here!"

"You think so?" Tommy grinned back, slinging his arm around Oliver's shoulder. "She texted me earlier and told me that she'll be here in just a few minutes! She also mentioned yesterday that she invited  _your_  Felicity!"

Oliver frowned at his choice of words, "Felicity isn't  _mine!_ " He had to keep his voice loud so that Tommy would hear him, but his best friend merely grinned at him.

"I'm pretty sure she used the words 'Oliver's Felicity' when she told me," Tommy insisted. "Either way, if that is the case, I'll finally get to meet the person Thea has been going on and on about."

"She'll be here," Oliver nodded. "But she isn't anything special. She's just...a friend."

Before he could think about his choice of words for referring to Felicity, a bubbly and grinning Thea ran up to him and Tommy, jumping into Tommy's arms as she embraced him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tommy!" she squealed, loud enough to be heard over the music. "This is the best party ever!"

Tommy laughed and Oliver grinned at Thea. "The night is still young, Thea!" Tommy said. "I just hope it'll be memorable for you. Happy Birthday!" Tommy hugged Thea back before letting go of her so that she could turn to Oliver.

"Where's Felicity?" Thea pouted.

"Good to see you too, Speedy," Oliver rolled his eyes at his sister. "Felicity will be here soon enough. She just had to change."

"She's changing  _here_?" Thea asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Oliver immediately realized that he shouldn't have mentioned that, because now Thea was probably questioning why Felicity would need to change at the club instead of going home to change. "We got held up at the office and she asked one of her friends to bring her change of clothes for her here. I suggested she change in the office," he lied on the spot.

" _Okay_ ," Thea drawled, but she didn't seem fully convinced. On her face Oliver could tell what she was really thinking.

Since meeting Felicity, Thea had several times teased him about supposedly having a thing for his blonde Executive Assistant. When Oliver had denied it, she had told him that he should 'totally get together with her because the girl is a blast' and that hadn't exactly made it easier for Oliver to not think about the dreams he was having about the hybrid.

" _Whoa_ ," Tommy suddenly gaped. "Is that her?"

Thea turned toward the stairs and nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face. Oliver actually rolled his eyes at Tommy's reaction as he turned to get a look at Felicity himself.

Except, it wasn't Felicity.

It  _couldn't_  be her.

The blonde that was nervously walking down the stairs toward the dancing crowd could impossibly be the hybrid that he was so used to seeing casually dressed in the Foundry and professionally dressed at the office.

Her blonde tresses were lose over her shoulders, curls framing her face in a way that he had never actually seen before. From his view point, her make up was light and she wasn't wearing much jewelery besides her earrings and a golden bracelet. What took his breath away completely though, was the short golden dress that went to her mid-thigh, a small slit on her right side, revealing even more of her creamy, long legs that seemed to be miles long, ending in a pair of black high heels.

She was looking over the crowd, looking a little confused for some reason before she closed her eyes. When she re-opened them again, her eyes settled on him- or maybe on Thea?- and she smiled widely before once again starting her descent down the stairs.

"Holy  _shit_ ," Tommy spoke beside him. "Your secretary is  _hot_ , Oliver!"

Something inside of Oliver rumbled at Tommy's words. He didn't feel comfortable with Tommy looking at Felicity that way. There was something twitching inside of him as he watched Felicity approach them, making men around her turn their heads her way, but she seemed happily oblivious about the attention she was getting. Oliver hated himself for the feeling that made him itch to just walk up to her and grab her, showing everyone around them that she wasn't available...

But he couldn't, because just as he had told Tommy earlier, and Thea several times during this last week: Felicity wasn't his.

Of course, he didn't really  _want_ her to be his either, but he couldn't deny that the emotion that was welling inside of him tasted incredibly bitter in his mouth. It was something that he had been familiar with when he was younger, but something that he had tried very hard to suppress, just so that he wouldn't break the facade he had built for years.

_Jealousy._

"Thea!" Felicity grinned at his sister when she reached them, holding her arms out so that Thea could step into them. Oliver tensed briefly, but relaxed once he saw that Felicity had only embraced Thea as a friend and wasn't intending on biting her and sucking her dry. It really was difficult to just forget seven years of hunting Dark Ones, no matter how different Felicity claimed to be.

"Happy Birthday," the blonde grinned as she separated from Thea. She turned to Oliver and her smile softened. "Hi, Oliver."

"Felicity," he nodded curtly. Felicity's eyes moved from his face, down his body, to his shoes and then back up again. Was she checking him out?

Tommy cleared his throat loudly, "Well, since Oliver isn't going to introduce me: Hi, I'm Tommy!"

Felicity smiled brightly, "Felicity. Tommy Merlyn, right? Oliver's best friend?"

"Yes, I am," Tommy grinned back. "And I must say, Oliver here has been  _clearly_ been trying to keep you all to himself. You look great!"

Oliver rolled his eyes again at his friend's antics, but looked over at Felicity who seemed torn on how to respond. Instead of actually saying anything, she laughed, as sound that seemed to send signals from his brain to his core, warming him.

"What Tommy is trying to say is that he probably expected you to be some nerd, because I mentioned that you're a MIT-graduate," Thea explained. "But less small talk, and more dancing! You promised me a dance, Felicity!"

"When did I do that?" Felicity protested, but her smile remained on her lips.

"Just now," Thea said. "Or at least I'm going to pretend you did, because it's my birthday!"

"Oliver?" Felicity asked, turning to look at him. Oliver tensed and Felicity seemed to realize her slip. She shouldn't be asking his permission like this when Thea and Tommy were around. Actually, she shouldn't ask his permission when  _anyone_  he knew was around, unless they were at the office of course, then it would probably be more acceptable. Her asking him now would probably make Thea and Tommy wonder why she needed his permission and Oliver dreaded letting them think that there  _really_  was something going on between the two of them.

Oliver moved his head in a tiny nod that was barely visible, but he knew that Felicity would understand. With yet another bright smile, she covered her slip, "I'll see you later maybe."

Thea grabbed her hand and pulled her along with her, into the crowd while Oliver remained standing there, watching them.

"You sure have been holding back with that one," Tommy smirked at him.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, looking at Felicity and Thea who started dancing together. Felicity was twirling Thea around from time to time and they were both grinning widely and laughing loudly, even though he wasn't able to hear them over the music.

"How have you been able to keep your hands to yourself? She's hot  _and_  smart, and she also seems to care a whole lot about Thea," Tommy pointed out. "Plus, she saved your sister's life. I'd say she's a catch."

"And she's also my Executive Assistant," Oliver said, deciding to use that as an excuse. "It's hardly professional."

"It's the  _best_  cliché in the world!" Tommy protested.

"In  _pornography_ ," Oliver retorted. "But no, trust me when I tell you that I won't be going there with Felicity. And please, leave it at that."

"Whatever you say, man," Tommy shrugged. "But when you two get married and have a bunch of mini Oliver's speeding around, I'll be the one saying 'I told you so.'"

Oliver didn't comment, instead he kept watching his sister and Felicity dancing, but Tommy's words kept ringing in his ears for some reason.

Felicity was a hybrid. There was no possible way for her to have children– Or was there? The blonde had mentioned that there were different ways of turning into a hybrid, which would in turn make hybrids react differently to various weapons. Was it similar when it came to procreation?

Sure, Felicity hadn't been a hybrid for very long, but she had most likely learned a lot during her time with her pack and her Sire. Then again, she had mentioned that she had never actually seen the man that had turned her, but it had been a slip during the night that he had first met her. Nevertheless, it made him wonder and it made him curious. He wanted to know more about her species but he wasn't ready to push his luck just yet. Felicity had already shared some facts about hybrids in general, but maybe this was a too sensitive subject to bring up?

When had he started bothering with what was too sensitive and what wasn't?

He shook his head at himself before his mind decided to remind him that as far as he knew, only  _made_  vampires weren't able to procreate. Werewolves, shapeshifters and lamia vampires could all have children. Most werewolf packs in the West and the North consisted of family members, but the wolves in Starling were mostly lone wolves that had started doing the dirty works of vampires. The lamia vampires he had come across in Russia had been a family that went back over a hundred years, so they too had made sure that their family tree was flourishing.

Shapeshifters were the more difficult species in Oliver's book. They too, just like vampires were divided in two groups: The  _Bellua_ and the  _Letalis_. The knowledge he held about this particular species was that the bellua shapeshifters were able to transform to an animal form while the letalis morphed into various human shapes. The bellua were, from what he had learned, more spiritual and peaceful than most monsters while the letalis were some of the deadliest, most viscous creatures he had ever come across. Witnessing their transformation from one human form to another was absolutely sickening and  _once_  had been enough for Oliver.

It had happened while he had been in Hong Kong and he would never forget the day that his target had began dropping skin and sprouting longer hair while it's teeth dropped out of its mouth. After he had shot it with the iron bullet, straight through the heart, he had effectively killed it and then proceeded to throw up everything he had eaten earlier that day.

Oliver shuddered, not wanting to think about the horrifying memories anymore.

He focused his eyes on Felicity and Thea again. Felicity was moving languidly to the beat, hands raised above her head with her eyes closed. Oliver swallowed thickly when he zeroed in on a bead of sweat making its way down her throat before it disappeared under her dress.

For a moment, his eyes lingered on her form and he once again blamed it all on those pesky dreams he kept having and the fact that he was  _a man_. His body was reacting to Felicity because she was attractive, no matter how much his brain told him that it was wrong because of what she was.

But he was tired and he wanted to actually relax for one night, maybe live a little like Diggle had told him to do.

He turned to Tommy, who had walked off to prepare for the cake apparently, before turning back to look at Felicity. The hybrid opened her eyes and it was as if she had sensed his gaze, because instantly, she looked over at him.

Hey eyes flashed for a mere second and Oliver had swallowed. When he looked past her, he could see another man slowly moving closer to her, dancing along the crowd as he made his way toward the blonde. Oliver moved without thinking, crossing the distance between him and Felicity before his brain could even register what had happened.

"Can I cut in?" Oliver asked Thea, grinning down at his sister as he rested his hand on Felicity's shoulder. The hybrid had stopped moving to the beat when she had seen him approaching and now stood facing his sister as well.

Thea grinned, "Of course! I'm tired anyway!" She put her hands on Felicity's arm and tugged at her a little before pushing her closer to Oliver. "Enjoy yourselves while I go find Tommy!"

She walked off the dance floor before Oliver could say anything else to her and left him alone with the hybrid. He looked down at Felicity, who was still in his arms.

"I know I told you to stay close to me," she hummed as his hands moved to settle on her hips, "but this is almost ridiculous." She wasn't even trying to hide the amusement in her voice as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her body coming up to press flush against his.

"Well, I figured it was better I check in on you to see to that you don't attack anyone," he smirked. "Just one song." He didn't know whether he was just telling her that, or if he was actually trying to convince himself.

Felicity smirked back at him, her eyes glistening mischievously golden for a second, " _One_."

-§-

One song turned into two, and two turned into four before Oliver could even realize that he had been dancing with Felicity for half an hour straight.

The floor was packed with people and he was  _forced_  to keep her close to himself so that she wouldn't slip away. People around them were grinding and jumping and screaming and laughing, but he was only able to focus on the sensation of Felicity's hand playing with the hair on the nape of his neck.

She had been toying with the short strands for five minutes now and Oliver was acutely aware of every time her finger nails scraped over his skin. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his senses, but it wasn't very effective considering that Felicity's intoxicating scent was the only thing that made its way up his nostrils.

"If you're tired, I can always find someone else to dance with," Felicity whispered in his ear. Her curls tickled the side of his face and he fought the urge to turn his head and bury his face in the soft locks.

"I don't want you dancing with anyone else," he told her. "What if you decided to bite them?"

Felicity pulled away a little, but she didn't look offended by his quip. She looked amused. "And what makes you think that I won't bite  _you_?"

At first he had thought that it might have been an accidental innuendo, like the ones she usually dropped around him, but when the teasing look she was sending him didn't fade, he realized that she was being serious.

His mind seemed to decide that that was a good time to flood him with memories of the dreams he had been having about her–  _Felicity's hands moving across his bare chest, embracing him as her nails dug into his back. Fangs scraping the side of his neck before reaching his pulse point, where she teased his skin with her tongue..._

Oliver snapped his eyes open, not even realizing that he had closed them in the first place. Felicity was looking at him, that same look still etched on her face. He wondered whether she really was a mind reader of some sort, because the long in her eyes seemed to say that she knew every little dirty thought he had ever head about her.

He needed to do  _something_ , so he grabbed her hand and pushed her a little further away from him. She seemed a little startled at first, but her hybrid senses kicked in and she was able to stabilize her feet almost instantly to stop herself from tripping. He twirled her around two times quickly, the people around them moving away a little at their suddenly large movements before bringing her back to himself.

Her back was now pressed against his chest, his arms crossed over her chest, locking her in his embrace. He leaned down slowly, feeling her tense slightly as he brought his lips to her ear, brushing against the sensitive skin as he whispered, "You wouldn't."

"You sure?" she countered, her voice equally quiet, her breath heavy.

"You won't," he insisted, "because you still want to earn my trust."

His words seemed to relax her a bit and soon they were once again moving against each other. This time though, their movements were slower than the beat, but also more precise. Oliver's blood was rushing through him, straight to places where he  _really_  didn't need it at the moment. Luckily, he was able to stop the once again dirty trail of thoughts that his brain had started for him.

Felicity turned her head so that she would be able to look at him, but she stayed in his arms with her hands over his, holding onto him just as he was holding onto her.

"Haven't I already?" she challenged him softly.

He looked down at her and then at their hands that were still clutching each other.

But he didn't reply.

-§-

Felicity knew that whatever she and Oliver were doing on the dance floor was out of line.

Okay, so they might not actually be hurting anyone and they might not be doing anything  _bad_  in general...but their situation was  _bad_ , and she knew that they needed to stop.

Felicity admired Oliver for the things he had gone through and survived and for the things he did for Starling City. He was a hero in her eyes and she would never deny that if anyone asked her.

However, she knew that he didn't trust her yet, so she couldn't help but suspect that this sudden closeness that he had established between the two of them was anything other than some kind of mind game.

She didn't mind playing games, as long as they were both in on the fun, but somehow, since she had asked him if she had earned his trust, things had turned more serious between them.

He still kept her close as they danced and she reveled in the feeling of having his tall frame pressed against her slimmer one. There was something that felt so incredibly  _right_  about being in Oliver's arms, that the logical part of her kept insisting that it must be  _oh so wrong._

She knew she should be pulling away, not just because she had spotted Tommy and Thea watching them curiously a while ago, but because she didn't know if she would ever be able to let go if she didn't.

As a hybrid, all her human senses were automatically heightened. She had felt the change inside of her the moment she had woken up as a turned hybrid. Her anger had become fury and her sorrow had become so painful, that she had barely been able to keep herself from ripping the people around her to shreds. Of course, those weren't the only emotions that had been magnified. Her strong will became the thing that kept her from giving into the darkness and it had in the end been her salvation as well.

The things she was feeling for Oliver... The  _attraction_. If she didn't get a grip on herself, things could escalate fairly quickly for her and she would without a doubt begin feeling something more for the man.

If he really was beginning to trust her, she wouldn't want to do anything to compromise the development, but dancing with him right now...it felt too right for some reason. Felicity decided to give herself this one night, before pulling away from him. One night and then she would focus on what she came here for.

She closed her eyes, her face pressed tightly against Oliver's chest now, listening to his thudding heart. The blood that she had drank earlier tonight rushed through her body, heightening her abilities just like it had done at the night of the auction. Mentally, she began counting the various heartbeats in the club, finding their sounds calming despite the way some were beating erratically.

Inhaling deeply, she took in every unique scent in the room, and then she froze, immediately looking up at Oliver.

"Something is wrong," she told him, pushing him a little further away from her as she inhaled through her nose again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing her arm before she could start walking.

"I can smell 211 different people in the club," she answered, "but I can only hear 206 hearts beating. There are  _vampires_  here."

Instantly, Oliver was on alert, looking around. His grip on her arm tightened a little as he leaned closer. "Is there any way you could point them out?" he asked her.

"If I'm high enough to get a good look at everyone, I might be able to recognize them," Felicity nodded. "But there's no way to see them in this crowd."

Oliver grabbed her hand and pulled her with him toward the stairs. They hurried to the second floor and walked toward the ledge so that Felicity could look down at the dance floor. She scanned the floor with her eyes quickly, trying to see anyone she might recognize from the Black Rose or any other gathering she had been to.

"I need to find Thea," Oliver stressed beside her. "I have to make sure she's safe."

"Oliver, be quiet!" Felicity scolded as she looked over the guests again.

On the other side of the room, stood a man, about Oliver's age with broad shoulders and a tall frame. Felicity stared as he met her eyes and smirked at her–

" _Turn or we'll kill them all!" the man growled at her. "Turn!"_

" _Never!" Her defiance was rewarded with a slap across her face before the other two vampires in the room began pulling at the ropes that were drenched in wolfsbane. Not even her screams could drown out the pain._

–Felicity snapped out of the memory, "Oh,  _shit_."

Oliver turned to look at her, his face determined, "Did you see one of them?"

"Go, suit up," Felicity nodded. "I'll see if I can lead them outside."

"How do you know they'll follow you?" Oliver asked before she could walk away.

"Because one of them used to hold me captive before I escaped," Felicity replied calmly, despite the storm of emotions raging inside of her. She pulled her hand away from Oliver's grip and gave him one last shot nod before walking off, eyes set on the man she had seen before. She moved as quickly as she could, stopping just a few meters away from the vampire. With one last look, she sprinted for the door.

She could hear the vampire and two others follow her as she ran out in the cold night. Without thinking twice about it, she led them around the corner of the street, straight into a smaller alley. Calmly, she turned to face the grinning vampire and his two followers.

He approached her, giving her a slow clap. "I almost didn't recognize you," he told her, his British accent making her skin prickle. "I never would have expected to see you here, Ms. Smoak. Especially not after you dropped off the radar four months ago."

The two vampires behind him, a man and a woman, snickered, their eyes shining red.

"Well," Felicity spat, "I guess I slipped up."

The vampire laughed and chills ran through Felicity as she remembered how many times he had done so while stabbing her thigh with his damn silver dagger.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw you having the time of your life at this  _supposedly_  private event," the vampire continued. "I might have been able to trick the guards into letting us in, but  _you_  must have been invited to the event."

"Or it could just be a coincidence," Felicity pointed out with a shrug.

"That's what Mindy thought," the vampire said, motioning to the female behind him. "Then the birthday girl herself pulled you out on the dance floor and you spent the better half of an hour dancing with none other than Oliver Queen."

Felicity knew she needed to keep stalling until Oliver could get here. Even though she would probably be able to beat them all down with the extra amount of blood she had taken in, she knew that she wouldn't be able to take their lives.

"Coincidence," Felicity repeated. "They mean nothing to me."

The vampire leader grinned, his fangs visible in the moon light, "Are you sure?"

He snapped his fingers together and Felicity watched as two other vampires walked into the alley, dragging an unconscious Thea between them. Felicity watched as Thea's head lolled from side to side as the girl muttered something under her breath.

"What did you do to her?" Felicity growled, taking a step toward the leader.

"Nothing yet," he smirked. "We just put a little something in her drink. Don't worry, it's a human drug so it won't do much damage. Although, your reaction sure says a lot about what the little Queen means to you." He walked to the two vampires that were holding Thea and brushed a finger against Thea's cheek.

"I swear, if you  _touch_  her again, I'll  _kill_  you," Felicity snarled. Her fangs were elongating, tearing through her gums and every cell in her body seemed to react due to the rage she felt inside of her.

"Come with us and no harm will come to her," the vampire leader replied.

There was no choice to make, so Felicity moved. She had the female vampire knocked out within a second before she moved to the man who had been standing next to her. They must be mates, Felicity realized, when the male attacked with ferocity at seeing  _Mindy_  on the ground.

Felicity elbowed him in the face before reaching around him, snapping his neck. It wouldn't kill him, but for the time being, he would be incapacitated.

The two vampires that were holding onto Thea, lowered the girl to the ground before charging at her, fangs bared and snarls loud. Punches were being thrown and one of them managed to get in one hit to Felicity's abdomen before she pushed him away so hard that he knocked against the wall, cracking his head against the bricks.

The fourth vampire took a step back, clearly shocked by her display of strength. His eyes flickered over to his leader and Felicity took the opportunity, speeding forward as she grabbed him by the throat, squeezing until her fingers dug into his skin, drawing blood. The vampire gurgled and stared at her with wide eyes when she crushed his windpipe with her bare hand and then he too fell unconscious. She knew that he too would be getting up later, but for now, she had gotten the upper hand.

She turned to the leader, who was staring at her bloody hands, startled.

"You've been drinking human blood," he realized. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been  _this_  strong."

Felicity was about to reply when an arrow whizzed through the air, hitting the vampire in the stomach. The monster dropped to his knees and Felicity looked up to see Oliver in full costume staring down at her from a small balcony on the side building. He jumped and came down to stand next to her, bow aimed at the vampire that was kneeling.

"Who are you and what do you want with Ms. Smoak?" Oliver asked, his voice disoriented.

The vampire looked between Felicity and the Hood before laughing. "You're working with the Hunter?" he laughed. "This is ridiculous."

Felicity stepped forward, grabbing the vampire by his cheeks. "Who sent you?" she asked him. "Who else saw me here tonight? Tell me and  _he–_ " she motioned to Oliver was looking as intimidating as ever, "–won't kill you."

The vampire seemed to contemplate his options. "We stumbled onto you by accident," he replied. "We were just looking for a late night snack and a club seemed to be an easy place to find it. When we saw you, we stuck around."

"Have you alerted anyone else of Ms. Smoak's whereabouts?" Oliver asked, not lowering his bow.

"I swear, I haven't!" the vampire said, eyes wide and fear written on his face now that his facade seemed to break. "No one knows she's here! Just the five of us!"

Felicity turned to look at Oliver. She couldn't see his eyes, but she could tell that his jaw was ticking.

"Felicity, move away," he finally said, wooden arrow remaining aimed at the vampire.

"No!" the vampire yelled, shaking his head wildly. "I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

"Shut up," Oliver growled, sending another arrow flying into the vampires stomach after Felicity moved away.

The vampire's eyes turned read and his fangs extracted when he snarled at Felicity, "I should have killed you myself when I had the chance! I  _told_  them that you would cause trouble! I  _knew_  it the moment you  _refused_ to turn!"

Felicity could feel her body run cold at the memories that were starting to floor her mind again.

_Chains, rope, wolfsbane..._

The vampire stood and moved to her in high speed and Felicity closed her eyes, knowing there was no chance that she would be able to deflect the move.

The hit never came though, and when Felicity opened her eyes, the vampires eyes had turned blank as he stumbled back, wooden arrow etched into his chest, right through his heart. The vampire sunk to the ground, skin turning ashen and Felicity let out a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding.

She turned to look at Oliver, who lowered his bow before reaching for another arrow.

"They're all vampires?" he asked, the voice modulator off.

"Yes," Felicity breathed. All she could do was stare as he sunk the arrow through each and every one of their hearts. They all shriveled, skin graying as they died before her eyes. He turned toward her then and pulled the hood off his head, meeting her eyes for the first time since he had joined up with her.

"We need to get Thea out of here, but first I have to dispose of the bodies," he told her.

Felicity nodded, pointing at a garbage container, "We can put them there for now and then get back later."

Oliver looked in the direction she was pointing and nodded slowly, already reaching down to lift one of the dead monsters over his shoulder.

"Thank you."

Her voice had broken the silence that had fallen between them and she could only stare as Oliver froze.

"Just get Thea inside and I'll meet you there in a few," he said.

Felicity nodded curtly and then moved to Thea, who was still unconscious.

-§-

Oliver joined her a few minutes later, just like he had said. The two of them made up some excuse to Tommy who looked horrified at the sight of a fainted Thea and a bloodied Felicity.

Felicity told him that Thea had had a little too much to drink and that she had gone outside and that she herself had tripped over her high heels when following her and scraped her hands, thus the blood.

Oliver carried Thea up to his office at Verdant and gently put her down on the couch.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" he asked Felicity, who nodded.

"They drugged her," she explained. "From what I can smell, it's a drug called Vertigo that has become quite a problem here in the Glades, but she should be fine."

"Can you somehow sense if it's on its way out of her system?" Oliver frowned. "Or do I need to take her to the hospital?"

Felicity knelt down next to Thea and took the younger girl's hand. She brought her wrist up to her nose and inhaled deeply. "She should be fine," she told Oliver. "There's not much of the drug there, just enough to knock her out. Taking her to the hospital would just start an investigation that would lead to things that we really don't want people to stumble upon."

Oliver nodded slowly, agreeing with her.

"I should go downstairs," Felicity said. "I think I've had enough action for tonight."

Oliver raised an eyebrow at her and she groaned, "Not  _that_  kind of action." Oliver's lips quirked up and Felicity shook her head at him.

"Felicity?" a confused, low voice said. Both Oliver and Felicity turned their attention to Thea, who was opening her eyes slowly. "I just had the weirdest dream," the girl said. "I think you were a vampire."

Felicity looked over at Oliver, who seemed just a tiny bit paler. She pressed her hand to Thea's forehead and smiled lightly, "You've clearly had too much to drink. Get some rest and we'll talk tomorrow."

"Roy was here," Thea mumbled. "He was nice."

"I'm sure he was," Felicity nodded, just as Thea drifted off to sleep again.

"I'll come with you," Oliver said when she began moving to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with Thea?" Felicity asked, frowning at him.

"She'll be okay," he said, looking over at his sister who was snoring lightly. "If she's able to talk about  _boys_ , she's fine. Besides, you told me that the drug is almost out of her system and I'll come check on her soon. It's better if she just sleeps it off. And I should probably go and burn those vampires."

Felicity didn't know what to say, so she just nodded at him and allowed him to lead the way.

They walked down to the Foundry unnoticed, because apparently, even if the birthday girl wasn't there anymore, the party continued. Felicity washed her hands from the dried up blood and then walked over to her chair and sat down, taking off her high heels.

Oliver went out briefly, returning twenty minutes later smelling like gasoline.

"Set them on fire?" Felicity asked and he nodded.

"It's easier that way," he said. "If a Dark One finds the bodies, it wouldn't be able to smell us on them."

Felicity looked down at her hands again, memories of what had happened flooding back to her. She had thanked Oliver for helping her, but he hadn't said anything to her about it yet. He had dismissed her instead, completely changing the subject when he asked her to take Thea inside.

Felicity just didn't know what to do with that.

"Hey," Oliver spoke suddenly and she looked up, seeing for the first time that he had come to stand in front of where she sat. He seemed a little hesitant for a moment before he lifted his hand and rested it on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Are you okay?"

Felicity felt her lower lip tremble, but she nodded, not trusting her own voice for a moment. She stayed quiet, but he didn't remove his hand, so finally, she gathered enough strength to speak.

"I almost lost control tonight when I saw the two vampires bring Thea to the alley," she confessed. "I wanted to tear them to pieces for even touching her and–" she cut herself off with a sharp breath, " –and I guess I never thought I could feel that way."

Oliver watched her intently, not speaking. It felt like ages passed before he opened his mouth, "Thank you, Felicity." He gazed into her eyes and Felicity once again felt those butterflies act up inside of her stomach. "For protecting and saving Thea again... I..." he trailed off, closing his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, he seemed determined. "I think I'm ready to trust you."

Felicity would never be able to explain how she felt in that moment. She looked at his face, searching for a hint of sarcasm or trickery and she couldn't help the small smile that bloomed on her own face when she realized that he was telling the truth.

He trusted her.

He  _trusted_  her.

"Oliver," Felicity swallowed, making her decision to speak before she could once again let her doubts set in. "The People of Darkness are planning something big for Starling City." She felt his grip tighten on her shoulder slightly and without thinking, she put her hand over his, squeezing it lightly. She could see the way tension set into his body and she understood that he really didn't need another think on his plate tonight.

Still, even though she knew he might not be ready to hear the whole truth yet, she had to tell him. She had to  _show him_  that she knew that he trusted her and that she trusted him too.

"They are planning something big," she repeated, her voice low, "and they are calling it an Undertaking."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue dramatic music!
> 
> Yay! Oliver has finally decided to accept the fact that Felicity can be trusted and he's NOT being a complete ass-hat to her! I told you he would be coming around, didn't I? ;)
> 
> Tell me what you thought of the chapter in a comment and please, do tell me what your favorite part of this chapter was! :) My favorite part to write was probably the dance scene between Oliver and Felicity, or the Tommy/Felicity introduction and Tommy teasing Oliver about his 'hot secretary'...
> 
> Okay, now. Don't forget to comment and I'll love you forever! =) Now I'm off to study for an exam I have next Thursday!
> 
> Hugs xx


	9. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity finally tells Oliver and Diggle the thing she's been keeping from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! First off, I wanna say thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday two weeks ago and secondly, I want to apologize for not updating last week. As some of you might know, I had a huge test and school in general has been kicking my butt lately, so I needed to prioritize. This chapter might be a little shorter than the other ones, but it is still passed 8k, so hopefully, you'll accept that.
> 
> I had an awful day today, so I would really need some nice reviews to cheer me up and keep me going! Thank you for never giving up on me and for always supporting me by reading and reviewing my fics! I love you all!
> 
> Enjoy!

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **9** **: The** **Truth**

* * *

 

There was a silence between them that he desperately wanted to break. Felicity was looking into his eyes, probing for a reaction from him, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.

_'They are planning something big and they are calling it an Undertaking.'_

Felicity's words had made him freeze over as his mind went through a thousand different possibilities as to what this 'Undertaking' could be about.

This was what he wanted though, wasn't it?

Oliver had wanted Felicity to tell him the truth ever since she had joined him and Diggle on his crusade and now, here she was, willing to give it to him. Yet, a small part of him knew that they had been through so much during this evening, and really, ever since they had met each other, and all he wanted to do was let her rest and actually prove to her that he _really_ trusted her.

“Oliver, I don't even know where to start,” Felicity said, her voice shaking as she looked up at him from her seat. She was still wearing that golden dress, but her heels were off and for some reason, she looked so incredibly vulnerable. He understood that she wanted to tell him the reason that she came to him in the first place, but he was aware that it could wait another day. He was tired and she looked just as exhausted and they _both_ needed some time to recover from what had transpired during the birthday party.

“Felicity,” he began slowly, squeezing her shoulder. She still hadn't removed her hand from where it rested on top of his and for some reason, he was okay with that. The small gesture of support meant _something_ to him, even though he wasn't sure what, just yet. “You don't have to tell me anything tonight.”

“Oliver,” Felicity sighed, “I've wanted to tell you for some while now, but I wasn't sure if I should until I knew for sure that you trusted me. Now that you do, all I want is to tell you the things I know.”

“It's okay, Felicity,” Oliver replied. “If it could wait for this long, it can wait another day. It'll be better if Diggle is here too, so that we can figure out our next move, _together_.”

She watched him curiously for a moment, “Are you sure?”

“I am,” he nodded, offering her a small smile, which she returns hesitantly. “Get some sleep and rest up. I'll see you down here tomorrow and then we can talk.”

“What about work?” Felicity frowned. “Won't we see each other there?”

“Maybe you should call in sick and rest,” he shrugged. “You've earned it.”

“Oliver, no offense, but if I have to stay locked up all day in here,” she motioned to the space around them, “I'll probably go mad. I'll see you at the office.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “I'll see you tomorrow... And thank you, again...” A confused look covered Felicity's face and he cleared his throat, “For saving Thea and for being there for her in general. Thank you for protecting her.”

“You will never have to thank me for that, Oliver,” Felicity told him confidently. “As long as I'm alive, I won't let anything bad happen to Thea if I can prevent it.”

He didn't know what to say, but he hoped the look he gave her showed her how thankful he was for her promise. The small smile that bloomed on her face told him that she had heard him despite that he hadn't said anything.

“You should get some sleep too,” Felicity whispered after a moment. “And I'll see you tomorrow.”

Without saying anything else, Oliver headed up the stairs.

-§-

Oliver woke later than usual the next morning. Or rather, he was awake for quite some time before he actually got out of bed, reflecting once again on what had happened the previous night.

After leaving Felicity down in the lair, he had made sure to get Thea home safe and then gone to bed himself. He reached for his phone that he had felt on his nightstand in case Felicity– _or Diggle_ – needed to get a hold of him for some reason. No new messages and no missed phone calls, which didn't come as a surprise since it was just seven in the morning.

He knew that Thea was most likely nursing a hangover after the drug the vampires had dosed her with, but his mother and Walter would be waking up soon to get ready for the office. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he needed to make sure that his Thea was okay. Even though Felicity had told him that the vampires hadn't used a high dose of the drug, it had been enough to actually knock his little sister and one could never be too careful when it came to these things.

Getting up from the bed, he decided to do a few push-ups, just to make himself look a little more tired than he looked. His mother, after all, would think he had been with Thea at Verdant all night long, which means that it would probably be better if he looked hungover too.

Forty minutes later, he had taken a shower and gotten dressed for work. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where he found his mother eating breakfast alone while reading a paper.

“Good morning, Oliver,” Moira said, not looking up from her paper. “I'm guessing you had a good time yesterday at Thea's party?”

“Yeah, we had fun,” Oliver shrugged, sitting down next to his mother. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, looking at the article she was reading. “Huh, that Vertigo drug seems to be going around in the Glades,” he casually pointed out.

“It's a good thing that you make sure the security is high enough so that no one manages to sneak in drugs in your club,” Moira nodded absentmindedly. “A lawsuit or a police investigation is the last thing we need.”

Oliver frowned. What a strange thing to say.

“Yeah, good thing,” he replied anyway. “Has Walter already left for the office?”

“He had an early morning meeting,” Moira answered. “But he told me to tell you that you didn't have to come in until later. He figured you would be feeling the aftereffects of the party.” His mother finally looked up at him and nodded curtly, as if the way he looked confirmed Walter's suspicions.

“That's great,” Oliver grinned back at her. “I should probably text Felicity and tell her she can come in a bit later too and then I'll go see if Speedy's alive.”

“Ms. Smoak doesn't need to come in later just because you are,” Moira said, narrowing her eyes.

“She was at the party too last night, Mom,” Oliver retorted. “Thea wore her out on the dance floor.”

“Just Thea?” Moira wondered, giving him a pointed look.

Oliver's mind flooded with images of him and Felicity dancing closely to each other. The way she had fit perfectly against his body, swaying and pressing at just the right times... His hands on her waist, her hands playing with his hair...

“Don't tell me you sent spies after your kids,” Oliver joked, but knew very well that there could be some truth there. Moira was known for always trying to keep an eye on her children; especially now that Oliver had returned from the dead, two years prior.

“I didn't need to,” Moira said. “Raisa's niece was at that party and apparently, she had seen 'Mr. Queen dancing with a pretty blonde' for 'a long time.'”

“It was _one_ dance, mother,” Oliver sighed, reaching for a glass of juice. “Thea practically forced us to.”

“Mhm...” Moira hummed, still looking unimpressed.

Oliver put his hands flat on the table and rose from his seat, “I should probably go check on Thea and then head out. I'll see you later?”

“Yes, yes,” Moira nodded and he once again pressed a small kiss on her cheek before walking away.

There was a strange feeling in his gut when he walked up the stairs toward Thea's room. He didn't like the fact that someone– even if it had been just Raisa's niece– had seen him and Felicity like that. Then again, he should probably be scolding _himself_ for being the one to actually persuading her to dance with him. Also, one dance surely would have sufficed. There had been no reason for him to keep her all to himself last night.

Unless he simply _wanted_ to keep her to himself?

He shook the thought out of his head before it could fester and knocked on Thea's door. Inside, he could hear a groaning sound and he chuckled as he opened the door a little.

“You okay in there?” he asked.

“I'm _dying_ , Ollie! Tell Mom I loved her,” Thea replied, her voice muffled by the pillow she had thrown over her face.

“I'll have the message delivered,” Oliver grinned, stepping into the room. He walked over to her bed and sat down, brushing his hand over her hair lightly. “Do you need me to get Raisa to bring something up for you?”

Thea groaned again, “The only thing I need is a Bloody Mary and a pretzel _and_ maybe an aspirin or _ten_.”

“I'll see what I can do about that,” Oliver answered, thinking back to the days he used to be hungover for days in a row after partying too hard. He was glad those days were over for him.

“Remind me to thank Tommy later, by the way,” Thea piped up, lifting her head from the pillow. “It must have been a killer of a party if I can't even remember anything after watching you and Felicity grind on each other for half an hour.”

“We did _not_ grind on each other for half an hour,” Oliver protested, staring wide eyes at his sister who just grinned lazily.

“Right,” she said, “it was more like _an hour and a half_.”

“I am _not_ sending up those pretzels,” Oliver said, standing up from the bed.

“Oh, come on, I was just kidding!” Thea giggled, but then winced, closing her eyes tightly again. “But you really shouldn't joke about those pretzels.”

“I don't want Mom to think there's anything going on between Felicity and me,” Oliver told her. “She's already suspicious as it is and we don't need rumors flying around at Queen Consolidated.”

“If you missed it, there already _are_ rumors going around,” Thea replied. “Besides, it's not as if the two of you are being subtle with your flirting. It might be harmless, but others might read more into it.”

“Are you always this insightful when you're hungover?” Oliver teased, deciding to ignore he words.

“Only when it's a question about my brother's love life apparently,” Thea said.

“Oh, so it's okay for me to discuss _your_ love life?” he asked, nudging her shoulder to check if she was still awake. “In that case, who is Roy?”

Thea quickly raised her head and stared at him with wide eyes, “No one!”

Oliver shook his head, chuckling, “See, don't start a war you can't finish, Speedy.”

“Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I won't tease you about Felicity– Who I'm pretty sure is your soulmate, by the way– as long as you don't ask about Roy. I don't want you to scare him off from me,” she said.

“And I think Felicity's rambling might be contagious,” Oliver deadpanned, ignoring the quip on soulmates. “I'll send the pretzels up,” he said, heading for the door.

“I love you!” Thea called after him, making him shake his head and smile.

-§-

Moira Queen was a woman of secrets.

Even before her first husbands demise, she had known how to keep things to herself. Infidelities, pregnant teenagers and blackmail were only three of the things listed on her hidden repertoire. If there was one thing Moira Queen knew, it was secrets.

And her son Oliver, was keeping a ton of them.

When she had been notified that they had found Oliver on some remote island near China, she had almost lost her mind out of cheer happiness. Her son, the boy she had believed to be dead, was coming home to her. She had gone out of her way to ensure that he traveled safely to the States and got transported back to Starling City as fast as humanly possible.

The man she had met that day in the hospital though, had not been the boy she remembered.

Her son, the Oliver Queen that she had known before he had supposedly drowned, was gone and as far as she could tell, he was not coming back any time soon. Still, he was her son and she was happy, because no matter what version of him had returned, he was _safe_ and she could _hold him_ , not just cry over an empty grave where she knew no one would ever hear her.

Then, the secrecy began. Oliver started sneaking out late at night and come back home early mornings. He thought she didn't notice, but she was his mother and she had just gotten her child back from the dead, so it wasn't as if she was going to let him out of her sight so easily during the nights. When she had confronted him about it, he had made up some excuse about seeing some girl, but she could tell by the emptiness in his eyes, that there must be more to it than just some silly dalliance.

Other, more powerful people, wanted to know what her son might have learned while he was ' _away_ ', and Moira was forced to do something drastic to find out if her son really did know more than he was letting on.

Having her own son kidnapped was quickly added to the sick pile of secrets, but she was happy to know that her son knew nothing of the things she and her husband had been involved in before the Queen's Gambit had gone down.

Guilt always weighed heavy on her shoulders when she thought about the yacht that had been rigged to go down, with her knowledge. She had loved her husband, but she had feared not only for her own life, but for her childrens as well. The last minute change that involved Oliver going on that trip with Robert was something that she wished she could have stopped. Perhaps then, Oliver would never have brought Sara Lance along, which was another name she had to add to the list of people whose death she's caused.

Either way, Oliver had returned, but she would always live with the guilt of Sara and Robert, and the other crew members who had died that stormy night.

Her son was distant in the beginning, but over the two years that followed, he seemed a little more at ease with his family again. The bodyguard she had hired after she had had him kidnapped had clearly become a friend of his and she was glad that her son had someone to watch out for him when she couldn't.

She had realized that Oliver had a right to his own secrets, mostly because she didn't want _him_ to start digging into hers, knowing that her son would push her away for all the horrible things she had done, no matter if it had been in the name of protecting him and Thea.

Then came Felicity Smoak, and suddenly, there was a secret that Oliver held that Moira _craved_ to know. At first she had honestly thought that her son was simply having an affair with the girl, and hated that there was a risk of Oliver returning to the scandalous front page of celebrity gossip magazines. She had been highly skeptic as to what other reasons there might be for Oliver to hire such a pretty blonde, but when he had presented her and Walter with Felicity's resume, she had realized that there was more to the woman than met the eye.

Moira had never been very good at minding her own business, especially when it came to Oliver's girlfriends or flings, and she wanted desperately to know more about this Felicity Smoak. She had a private investigator look her up, but even then, the results came up spotless and Moira had to come to terms with the fact that there simply wasn't anything on record that could prove to her that there was something strange with the woman Oliver had hired.

Then she noticed how tense Oliver was around Felicity and how he always seemed to be keeping an eye on her, or having his own bodyguard do it for him. Moira started questioning if Oliver really was having a fling with the girl, or if he was simply trying to keep his eye on her, for some reason.

Moira was glad that Oliver wasn't involved with Ms. Smoak, because it would keep him out of the tabloids and thus _her_ out of the news. She didn't want to become a liability, because dangerous people were still watching her every move, especially now that it had turned out that Oliver knew nothing of what was planned for the city.

Now, things were changing once again.

Moira watched with narrowed eyes as Oliver smiled down at Felicity when he handed her a file. The tension that was usually there in his shoulders when he spoke to the blonde was gone, and the blonde's eyes seemed to be shining as she met Oliver's. When he instructed Felicity to leave the folder back on his desk, the woman nodded enthusiastically and smiled at him before starting to walk away. The moment Felicity stepped away from Oliver, Moira saw that her son's hand was falling back to his side, which in turn meant that Oliver had actually been holding onto the woman by her elbow.

It was an intimate gesture that Moira didn't like one bit. What had changed? Why was Oliver suddenly so open to the blonde that he had insisted that he didn't like at all?

Moira couldn't help herself.

“Oliver, could you please follow me for a moment?” she asked, successfully getting his attention.

The dazed look on her son's face wasn't comforting at all. “Yeah, sure Mom,” he replied, following her into her office. She closed the door and made sure to lock it so that they wouldn't be interrupted. When she turned to face Oliver, he was standing with a confused look on his face, “Is everything okay?”

“Oliver, I'm not trying to be annoying, but I'm your mother first and foremost and I need to know what has changed,” she told him, in her no-nonsense voice.

“Changed?” Oliver questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Between you and Ms. Smoak,” Moira clarified, walking around her desk so that she could take a seat.

“Nothing has changed between Felicity and me,” Oliver insisted, but Moira could see it the moment a mask covered her son's face.

“The two of you seem more open with each other,” she pointed out. “You're smiling and _touching_ and it almost looks like you enjoy her presence.”

“I do,” Oliver nodded. “She's kind of funny to be around, you know. She says the silliest things sometimes and-”

“Oliver, are you sleeping with her?” Moira hurriedly asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

Oliver stood frozen for a moment, his mouth opened, but then closed again, lips tightly shut together. The frown was still there when he spoke, “Not that it's any of your business, Mother, but _no_ , I am not sleeping with my Executive Assistant.”

“Then why are you two acting so differently?” Moira demanded to know. “What has changed? You used to be so cold toward her and now you're openly _smiling_ , which you haven't done genuinely since you returned from that Island.”

“Are you making accusations based on the fact that I am _smiling_ more?” Oliver asked, sounding as if it was the craziest thing in the world.

“I told you there has been a lot of other changes too, Oliver,” Moira replied. “So tell me the truth. Tell _your mother_ the truth.”

Oliver shook his head and looked up at her in disbelief. There was a humorless smile gracing his face, which actually made the entire thing look more like a grimace. “In case you missed it, Felicity _saved_ both Thea's _and_ Walter's life,” he said. “She had _earned_ my trust, Mother and it had _nothing_ to do with her looks, or her skills in the bedroom, which I may add, I know _nothing_ about. I would appreciate it if you never brought it up again.”

With those words, Oliver unlocked the door and stepped out of her office, leaving her to stare after him. She understood where he was coming from, because she _had_ been nagging him about it ever since Ms. Smoak started working for him.

But there was still something about that woman that made Moira's skin crawl. She had had suspicions that there could be... _darker forces_ at work, but she couldn't know for sure. All she knew now was that she would have to keep her suspicions to herself and not ask Oliver about it again. She didn't want to push her son away, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let go of her intuitions when it came to Felicity Smoak that easily either.

-§-

Tommy Merlyn waltzed into Queen Consolidated with a bright smile on his face.

He had just gotten off the phone with a still recovering Thea Queen, who had made sure that the birthday party he had thrown her had been the best birthday party in her life, and he was very pleased, to say the least.

The younger Queen had also filled him in on the conversation she had had with her older brother that morning and for a moment, the two of them had laughed over the fact that Oliver could get flustered so easily.

Tommy knew his best friend and from what he had seen, there was clearly _something_ going on between Oliver and his new blonde friend. The last time Tommy had seen Oliver dance the way he had danced with Felicity at Thea's birthday party, had probably been some time before Oliver was shipwrecked. Since his return from the Island, Oliver had been more and more reluctant go out clubbing, and to be honest, Tommy was thankful for that.

Tommy was in a steady relationship with Laurel and they were in a good place. He wouldn't want to go back to the way things were before because he was happy.

His happiness with Laurel was actually the reason he was coming to talk to Oliver today, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't enjoy having a little conversation with Felicity, seeing as Oliver wasn't in his office at the moment.

“Ms. Smoak,” he nodded, grinning from ear to ear as he took in the woman. She was sitting by her desk dressed in a bright orange dress, tapping away quickly at her computer.

“Mr. Merlyn!” she exclaimed, looking up at him immediately. “Oliver was just- I mean, _Mr. Queen_ has been held up by his mother, but he'll probably be here in a moment.”

“You're not going to ask me if I have an appointment?” Tommy raised an eyebrow. “I'm sure _Mr. Queen_ is a very busy man...”

“Well, you are his best friend,” Felicity pointed out and by the look on her face, he could tell that he was teasing her on the 'Mr. Queen' slip. “I don't think you need to have an appointment any less than his sister does. Besides, I know that his afternoon is free, since I keep his schedule and all that.”

Tommy eyed her and grinned, “I think you're the first secretary that I've ever met who openly talks about her job like she's disgusted by it.”

“I think you would be too if you were an MIT-graduate,” Felicity muttered as a reply. “But still, I can't complain. As long as Oliver keeps paying me, I'll stick around.” Her eyes widened suddenly, almost comically, “And by that I don't mean that he's paying me for anything other than my job! As his Executive Assistant, I mean! No extracurricular work being done here whatsoever, so don't get any strange ideas! Oliver and I have a _very_ strict business relationship... Which now that I say it out loud sounds even worse than what I originally said.” Burying her face in her hands, she shook her head at herself and groaned.

“Felicity,” Tommy chuckled. “You're the one that's putting ideas in my head.” She shot him a glare. “Hey, I'm just kidding. Oliver was very serious when he told me that you two just work together last night,” Tommy said.

“That's good,” Felicity nodded slowly.

“But can we at least stop pretending that you're on last-name-basis? It's kind of obvious that you're comfortable enough with calling him by his first name,” Tommy said and Felicity nodded in agreement.

“I guess I'm trying to make a habit of calling him Mr. Queen here at the office so I won't slip up when someone else hears us talking,” Felicity explained. “I mean, you should see the look on his mother's face every time I talk to him or he calls me by my first name.”

“Well, Moira can be a little harsh, as far as I know,” Tommy shrugged. “She'll come around when she sees that there's nothing going on between the two of you.”

Felicity didn't look very convinced, but nodded anyway. Tommy wanted to shake his head, because as far as he could tell, there was _clearly_ something there, but he wouldn't press. Tommy watched Felicity as she looked past him, a smile appearing on her face as she did.

“Oliver!” she said brightly, causing Tommy to turn around. His best friend was indeed on his way into the office. “Tommy is here to see you.”

“Tommy,” Oliver grinned, embracing his friend. “What brings you here?”

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Tommy replied.

“Sorry that I kept you waiting,” Oliver said, motioning with his hand for Tommy to follow him to his part of the office, on the other side of the glass wall.

“It's alright; Felicity kept me entertained.” Tommy sent a wink Felicity's way, making the blonde blush lightly. When Tommy turned back around to face his friend, Oliver had an unreadable expression on his face, which usually meant that he was trying to conceal either annoyance or jealousy.

 _Yeah right_ , Tommy thought. _Nothing going on at all._

“By the way, Felicity,” Tommy smirked, “if Oliver ever gives you a hard time,” he grabbed a pen on her desk and a paper, scribbling down a few digits, “give me a call and I'll tell you some embarrassing stories from his childhood that you can use against him.”

Felicity took the note from him and smiled, “I'll keep that in mind.”

“Tommy,” Oliver groaned, rolling his eyes. “I'm sure Felicity could have found out everything about me within just a few minutes, especially since she has access to a computer.”

“Ah,” Tommy said triumphantly, “there are things not even the Internet knows about!”

Felicity laughed at that and Tommy witnessed something amazing.

The corners of Oliver's mouth lifted in a _genuine_ smile. Those moments were very rare since his return from the island. Tommy had only seen it happen a few times, usually whenever Thea was around.

“Let's go then,” Oliver suggested, “before you actually reveal something to Ms. Smoak that she'll be able to blackmail me with later.” There was something in Oliver's tone that suggested that Felicity already knew something that no one else knew and it made Tommy curious. He didn't press however, because he needed to have a conversation with Oliver about something important.

They walked into Oliver's office and Tommy closed the door after them, looking over at Felicity who once again started tapping on her computer. Tommy had been in Oliver's office a few times already, but the view of the city always impressed him immensely.

“So what did you need to talk about?” Oliver wondered, walking up to stand beside Tommy, looking out at the city.

“I don't want things to be awkward between us,” Tommy began slowly, “but I really felt like I needed to talk to you about it first.”

“Oh?” Oliver raised his eyebrows.

Tommy nodded, “Yeah...” He paused. “Oliver, I want to ask Laurel to marry me.”

“Oh.”

Tommy let the silence hang for a moment, waiting for Oliver's reaction, but his best friend's face remained neutral. After a moment though, Oliver's lips tugged up, once again in that rare, genuine kind of way and Tommy had never felt more relieved.

“Are you asking me for your blessing?” Oliver wondered, sounding amused.

“Is that weird? It's weird, right?” Tommy chuckled, shaking his head at his own antics.

“I am happy for you, Tommy,” Oliver grinned. “You and Laurel both.” Oliver opened his arms and Tommy didn't hesitate for one second to embrace his friend in a _manly_ hug. “You got a ring yet?” Oliver asked and Tommy nodded, taking out the small box he had been carrying around with him for weeks, afraid that Laurel would somehow find it.

He opened the box for Oliver to see the simple princess cut diamond ring with a golden band. “Do you think she'll like it? I know it's not something extravagant, but-”

“Laurel will love it,” Oliver nodded, squeezing his shoulder lightly. “You know she will.”

“I sure hope so,” Tommy laughed.

“So when are you going to do it?” Oliver wanted to know.

“Soon, hopefully,” Tommy replied. “Laurel's been working a lot at CNRI lately and I asked Detective Lance a week ago, so soon.”

“You asked her father for permission?”

“It felt like the right thing to do,” Tommy shrugged. “Especially considering that the man is authorized to carry a gun.”

“You do have a point,” Oliver smiled. “You deserve to be happy, Tommy.”

Tommy watched him and for a moment, he hesitated. Oliver had been through so much in his young life and for some reason, even though the Island horror was over, it still felt like Oliver kept re-living the nightmares time and time and again.

“You deserve to be happy too, Oliver,” Tommy said. For a brief second, Tommy thought he saw Oliver's eyes flicker to the glass wall that separated his and Felicity's offices, but Tommy chose not to look too deep into it for now.

“I'm happy,” Oliver defended, but it sounded a little halfhearted.

“In that case, you deserve to be even happier, man,” Tommy told him, clapping him on his back. “Hopefully you'll find someone who keeps putting those smiles on your face, because I need my best man to not look grumpy when he holds his speech.”

“Best man?” Oliver grinned.

“Did you think I'd pick someone else?” Tommy asked.

Oliver shook his head lightly and chuckled under his breath, “I just figured you would at least wait until Laurel said yes.”

Tommy's smile fell, “Do you think she'll say no?”

Oliver put both of his hands on Tommy's shoulders, forcing him to look at him. “I think Laurel would be stupid to say no, and if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Laurel Lance is anything but stupid.”

Tommy smiled, thankful for his friend's reassurance and then checked his watch. “Well, I need to head off. I promised my father I would meet up with him for a late dinner to talk,” he grimaced.

“Malcolm is still insisting you two work on your relationship?” Oliver wondered.

“Considering that he cut me off and then refused to talk to me for six months, I'd say there's a lot to work through,” Tommy deadpanned. “Besides, the other year and a half he's been having a lot of meetings and shit that I don't even want to get into. The man is seriously full of secrets and I don't know if I've ever had an honest conversation with him.”

“Maybe it's still worth working on,” Oliver shrugged. “My mom isn't exactly the easiest person either, but we work through it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tommy agreed. “At least my father doesn't accuse me of sleeping with my secretary though.”

Oliver groaned, “Will everyone just cut it out already? First off, Felicity is my _Executive Assistant_ , and secondly, I am not, nor will I ever be sleeping with her.”

“You're right,” Tommy said. “I don't get why anyone would think that a girl like her would actually go for a guy like you. She's way out of your league.”

“You're free to leave, Tommy.”

“I'll see you around, Oliver.”

-§-

After the conversation he had had with his mother, Oliver had been agitated, to say the least. He didn't want her to think that there was _anything_ going on between him and Felicity.

The thing was, that even though he had accepted Felicity now, it still didn't change the fact that she _is_ a hybrid. He trusted her, but that didn't mean that he had to _like_ her.

Or at least not in the way everyone else seemed to think he did.

He had spent the last seven years of his life fighting the darkness that prowled in the night and now he trusted one of the Dark Ones enough to listen to her and leave her alone with his sister. If someone were to ask him, he would call that an accomplishment.

He was well aware of the fact that Felicity was attractive. If his dreams about her were anything to go on, it was clear that at least _his body_ felt attracted to her. His brain though didn't want to complicate things further by allowing his body to explore said attraction and he was glad for that. It was bad enough that it was there, but he didn't want to walk around with it on his mind constantly.

So yes; he trusted Felicity, but he didn't like her. At least not in _that way_.

He was willing to trust her when it came to Thea and to their work, but he didn't dare think to develop the understanding that the two of them had come to together without actually speaking about it. As long as she knew that he trusted her enough so that he wouldn't kill her, they were good.

Tommy had made his day a little easier. The news that his best friend was going to propose to Laurel wasn't unexpected, but it sure was a happy surprise. When Oliver returned from Lian Yu, he might have believed that he wanted to give him and Laurel another try, but truth be told, he had known that five years had passed, and the chances that Laurel had waited for him for those years while she thought he was dead, were slim, if at all existing.

A wedding, whenever it would take place (because Oliver was sure that Laurel would accept Tommy's proposal, no matter how corny it might be), would be a happy occasion and hopefully by then, Oliver would have come a long way on his own crusade against the Darkness, so that he would be able to attend without having to think about protecting everyone he loved.

“Oliver?” Felicity suddenly spoke up beside him. They had decided to catch a cab together today so that people who recognized Felicity's mini cooper wouldn't find it suspicious as to why she's always parking her car outside of Verdant. Diggle was running an errand, so he would be joining them in the Foundry when he was done.

“Yes, Felicity?” His voice was surprisingly soft, even to his ears, as he looked out the window at as the cab driver drove them through the Glades. He didn't want to think about the conversation that was about to come, but he knew that it was inevitable. Felicity, Diggle and he would have to talk about the thing that made Felicity look them up and make them hunt her. She had been keeping the secret for nearly two months now, all so that she would make sure to build his trust before revealing anything.

“I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to get mad at me,” she admitted slowly. “I know that even though we trust each other, we aren't exactly friends.” Oliver turned his head sharply toward her and stared as she rolled her eyes, “I'm not _that_ naive, Oliver.”

“Feel free to ask,” he said instead of commenting her statement, because he knew that he couldn't add anything other to it that wouldn't just make the matter even more confusing.

Once again, Felicity hesitated, biting her lip, “How do you _really_ feel about Tommy and Laurel potentially getting married?” Oliver eyes her confusedly and she simply tapped her ear, giving him a look.

 _Ah_ , he remembered, _hybrid hearing_.

Of course Felicity had overheard every word that Tommy and he had said in his office. After all, the walls were made of glass, which wouldn't block out the sounds that she was able to pick up with her enhanced hearing.

He thought about what would be the better answer, deciding to go with the truth, “I _am_ happy for them, Felicity. They both deserve the happiness they've found in each other.”

Felicity's head moved in an affirming nod before she looked out the window on her side of the cab. “Tommy was right, you know,” she said after a moment.

“About what?” Oliver wondered, realizing that he had still been watching her even though she had turned her head away from him.

“You deserve happiness too,” she replied, her voice so low, that he had barely heard her. She turned her head and met his eyes, connecting for what felt like an eternity. His fingers itched to reach out and touch the blush that appeared on her cheek, which always managed to make her look so _human_.

Realizing what he had been thinking, he quickly turned his gaze away, staring straight ahead. Her words still echoed in his mind and in that moment, Oliver didn't know what to think anymore.

-§-

Felicity was _pacing_ in the Foundry.

Oliver was sitting on the stool he normally sat in when sharpening his arrows and Diggle was leaning against the med-table, while Felicity paced, surprisingly looking graceful while she did.

The hybrid had been walking back and forth in front of them for the better of ten minutes as she tried to figure out where to begin with her story. Every once in a while, she would stop moving, open her mouth to speak, and then shut it again, only to start walking again.

Oliver had had enough of it. She was only prolonging the conversation that they all knew that they needed to have. Diggle shot Oliver a warning glare though when Oliver opened his mouth to speak, and he promptly sat down on his chair again, respectfully waiting out Felicity, who cracked her fingers, shaking them lightly afterward.

“Okay, okay,” she said, almost to herself. “It's just so weird talking about this since I've been keeping the secret for so long. I don't even know where to begin,” she told them.

“Why don't you just start in the beginning?” Diggle suggested, giving her one of those comforting smiles that Oliver was sure he would never be able to give her.

“Okay,” Felicity nodded, “alright.” She took a few more deep breaths, closing her eyes before turning to face them. “I was turned into a hybrid approximately five months ago, give or take a week or two,” she said. “During the first month, I was being kept in some kind of underground base and I overheard some of the wolves that were guarding talking about some kind of Undertaking.”

“Werewolves stood guard?” Oliver frowned. “For hybrids? Aren't you supposed to be stronger than them and vampires combined?” He had seen Felicity use her strength; he knew just how strong and how quick the petite blonde could be.

“I was in isolation,” Felicity explained. “After I was turned, I... Well, let's just say that I wasn't as accepting as the other hybrids,” she bit out. “Either way, they usually patrolled the hallway, sent in food and such so that I wouldn't die of starvation before they could get what they wanted.”

“What did they want?” Oliver wondered, but Felicity only stared at him. “Damn it, Felicity! Just tell us whatever the hell they have planned so that we can plan our next move!”

His frustration was getting the better of him, but he could still see the hesitance in Felicity's eyes. They narrowed at him, probably on instinct, briefly flashing yellow before turning back to their normal shade of blue.

“I was weakened,” Felicity continued, “and I couldn't hear everything that they were saying. All I know is that I heard them mentioning an Undertaking and plans of attacking the humans, to take over Starling City.”

The breath he had been holding left Oliver's lung as he turned to look at Diggle. The older man held an expression on his face that was probably similar to the one that was covering Oliver's own.

If the People of Darkness were really planning to take over Starling City completely, it would take _a lot more_ than just a vigilante in a green hood, a former soldier and a hybrid hacker to take them down.

“Once I realized what they were going to do, I quickly decided to submit,” Felicity explained. “I tricked them into believing that I was loyal to the Master, and tried to gather as much information as I could, but it was difficult because they never spoke about it in my presence. I guess they were still not sure of where my loyalties were,” she shrugged.

“Who is the Master?” Diggle asked. “Your Sire?”

“There might have been a man that caused me to turn, but I have _never_ had a Sire, nor will I _ever_ have one,” Felicity snapped, eyes flashing, this time staying yellow as she watched them. “The Master is a man without a face. No one ever saw him and the only time I heard his voice, it was when I used my hearing to listen in on one of the other lamia vampire's conversations with him through the phone.”

“Doesn't sound like a hell of a lot of information to me,” Oliver said, raising from his seat. “You've told us nothing yet that can be useful. You mention an Undertaking, but know no date, nor real plan. You talk about a nameless, faceless Sire that we can't locate. How are we supposed to use _anything_ that you've told us, when we have _nothing_ to go on?” His voice was harsh and Felicity took a step toward him.

“I know it's not much, Oliver,” she growled at him, “but at least it's more than you had yesterday.”

He shook his head in disbelief. How could he have been so stupid to think that the hybrid would actually come forward with useful information? Sure, it might be more than he had known before, but he had just gotten a bunch of fancy words and another mystery person to look for. He was back right where he started when she had first sent him a text message for him to come and find her.

“Why look us up?” he asked her. “Why contact the Hood and reveal your identity– Why _expose_ yourself like that, if you had nothing to give us in return?”

“I _have_ something to give,” Felicity protested. “I give you _my skills_ , I give you insight on the Dark Ones that you never would have been able to figure out and I've given you the knowledge that they are planning something _huge!_ ” She took a few deep breaths, to calm herself, but her eyes were still honey colored as she continued, “I knew I couldn't be a part of the death of hundreds, _thousands_ of people, Oliver. I needed to do something to help save them and the solution came to me when one of the vampires mentioned how Bertinelli's club was safe from the Hood. I _heard_ the fear in the other vampire's voice when he talked about you and I could _smell_ it all around the room.” She closed her eyes and opened them, revealing once again her blue irises, “I knew that you would be the only one brave enough to take on the war that is about to go down. I still believe that.”

Oliver sighed, pinching the brig of his nose as he did. What was he supposed to say? He had been expecting something that he could use to pinpoint an exact location of the person who was behind the entire thing, but now all he knew was that the Dark Ones would try to take over his city at some point.

“Do you have anything else to add, Felicity?” Diggle asked before Oliver could even bring himself to start forming words with his mouth. “Something that might give you a clue to when things will be going down, or _anything_ on how they are planning to do it?”

Felicity looked deep in though before nodding, “Toward the end of the year, after winter.”

“How do you know?” Oliver asked.

“Deduction, I suppose... One of the less intelligent wolves mentioned that he was glad that he would have time to see his family, his old pack, for Christmas before he came back to fight,” she said. “And as far as how they are planning to do it... There's a reason they turned me.”

“What are you saying?” Oliver frowned. “They turned you so that you could join their army of Dark Ones?” When he said it out loud, it didn't actually sound _that_ crazy.

“They have been rounding up werewolves for _months_ , Oliver,” Felicity replied. “Lone wolves, wolf packs, any kind of wolf they can find really, just so that they can try turning them into hybrids to make a stronger army.”

“An army of hybrids,” Diggle acknowledged.

“You said it yourselves,” Felicity nodded, “hybrids are hard to kill. You two didn't even know for sure what would be able to kill them before I joined you.”

“We wouldn't have stood a chance,” Diggle realized, looking over at Oliver.

Oliver clenched his jaw, but found himself nodding. He couldn't deny that this final piece of information that Felicity had given them was useful. They knew what they were going to stand up against and they had a few months before the Undertaking would be taking place, so they would have time to prepare and get ready. By then, hopefully, Oliver might be able to locate the Master and kill him, to prevent the Undertaking from taking place at all.

“I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long,” Felicity said. “I hope you understand that it wasn't easy for me either, to keep you in the dark.”

Oliver didn't want to dwell on how the hybrid had kept the truth from them for so long, because the important thing was that it was out there now and he trusted Felicity enough to know that she would do everything to help him and Diggle stop the Undertaking from taking place.

“You've given us something to go on,” Oliver told her, moving to her automatically. He wanted to reach out to her, put his hand on her shoulder to show her how thankful he was for the little information she had managed to give them. Instead, he settled for looking her in the eyes, pouring as much earnest in his voice as he murmured a soft, “Thank you, Felicity.”

Felicity let out a shaky laugh, not sounding amused at all, “Where are we even supposed to start?”

Oliver looked toward Diggle, who raised his shoulders in a shrug, stepping away from the table he was leaning on. The man who had turned Felicity had had so much time to create his army, that he wasn't sure if there was anything they _could_ do now except for prepare. Who knew how many werewolves the Master had managed to turn by now...?

An idea formed in Oliver's head suddenly.

“Felicity,” he drawled, “is there any way that you might remember any of the wolves that they captured while you were being held?”

“Some of them, yeah,” Felicity frowned, “but most of them are probably dead though. They didn't manage to turn properly into hybrids, so the two species burned each other out.”

“All we need to know is where they were snatched,” Oliver said. “If we can maybe somehow pinpoint the last place they were seen, we might be able to see a pattern,” he explained.

“Or we might see a familiar face,” Diggle joined in. “A common denominator–“

“–the _wolf snatcher!_ ” Felicity exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear before frowning. “Sorry, that's just what I usually called him in my head. I never saw him, but I heard the other wolves talking about him.”

“There are security cameras all over Starling City,” Oliver said, deciding to ignore the way Felicity had started slipping off topic. “If some of the wolves that were captured were taken here in Starling, we should be able to see where most of them are being taken from.”

“I bet it's close to the Black Rose,” Felicity said. “Usually, the wolves that randomly drop into town visit the club because they hear it's safe there. At least that was what one of my old pack members told me.”

“Also, there are cameras all around the world, so Felicity would probably have no problem checking though those recordings either,” Diggle said, turning to look at the hybrid. “Will you?”

“Of course I won't,” Felicity said. “I'll do anything it takes to help you guys, and stop doubting my skills. I found you without a problem, didn't I?”

“You did,” Oliver confirmed. “I don't think either of us are doubting your skills, Felicity. It's just that this is still a long shot and it's not as if you can just write how someone looked so that you can find them online, right? You need names to know where to start looking.”

“I have names,” Felicity smiled. “One of the wolves that didn't make it... Her name was Alison Greene. I'll start there and then I have a few more to go on.”

Oliver almost smiled, feeling a tiny bit of hope blossom inside of him.

“Oliver could use the disguise of the Hood to try and learn more names on the street,” Diggle suggested. “Interrogate Dark Ones instead of just killing them. I'm sure there are some out there who have heard a thing or two. If wolves are disappearing, someone ought to have noticed.”

“You're right,” Oliver nodded. “I can hunt them and get names while you search for them Felicity. Diggle can help with looking up potential targets that might have information.”

“A well-oiled machine,” Felicity grinned, sitting down by her computer. “Team Arrow.”

Oliver scrunched his nose up as he looked at her, reaching for his jacket. “Don't call us that,” he told her. “I need to head home, but we can start looking though things tomorrow, alright?”

“Sure thing,” Diggle said and Felicity confirmed it with a nod.

Shooting one last glance at Felicity, Oliver headed up the stairs and out into the chilly night. There would be no patrolling tonight, because he needed to gather his strength. Something told him that they would be having busy nights ahead of themselves and he needed to rest.

When he got into the cab he had called for himself, he found himself smiling once again.

 _Team Arrow_ , he though, remembering how cheery Felicity's voice had been when she had called them that. If anyone had asked him, he would never have been able to explain why it had brought a smile to his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter because I honestly didn't know how i wanted it to play out. Having a part from Moira's point of view was totally unplanned, but I went with the flow. I hope you guys liked that and got a little more insight on her thoughts and can see that she isn't completely heartless.
> 
> And before you get mad, I want you to know that yes, Oliver is still not considering Felicity a "real friend", but he DOES trust her, so we're getting there okay? He isn't going to become an ass again like he used to be earlier on, but you need to understand his frustration, because he was promised information and truth be told, Felicity didn't have THAT MUCH to reveal. At least they have something to go on and now, the story can really pick up! =)
> 
> But you need to know that I barely have time to write anymore, so updates might not come as regularly as they usually do... Although I will do my best!
> 
> Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a review! =)


	10. The Dark Archer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's search for the truth about the upcoming Undertaking makes him cross paths with yet another dangerous enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am BACK PEOPLE! Or at least I am for this week! ^^
> 
> First off I want to quickly apologize for taking so long with this update, but school (as I've said so many times) is really killing me and to be quite honest, I didn't really have time to write.
> 
> Still, this chapter is over 14k long, so I hope that makes up for it! ;)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who keeps showing their support by commenting and I am SO HAPPY that this story has already passed 100 reviews on fanfiction! Thank you so, so much! I love you guys!
> 
> No Arrow on TV this week, so I kind of felt like I needed to cheer those of you who have been waiting for this chapter up a bit! Please enjoy this new chapter of Hunted! :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **10: The** **Dark** **Archer**

* * *

 

“Talk to me Felicity,” Oliver grunted into the comm-link. He leaned his back against the wall of the container, peeking around the corner, trying to get a look at the Dark Ones that had apparently taken to using guns in exchange for their fangs.

“ _I'm hacking into the cameras of the warehouse_ ,” Felicity replied, her voice rushed. “ _Diggle is on his way, Oliver. Just hang on a bit longer and you'll have backup!_ ”

It was so stupid; the entire situation.

They had been searching for the clues on the missing werewolves for almost two weeks now, but every name they managed to get out of the Dark Ones Oliver threatened, always led to a dead end; _literally._

Almost all the wolves that they had managed to locate had been either dead, or too insane to try to talk to for information. The ones who seemed to always end up dead were former Pack Wolves, while the insane ones who had to be put down immediately were Blood Wolves.

They had been following a lead tonight that was supposed to take them to a warehouse where a small pack of wolves had last been seen. Oliver had pressed one of Bertinelli's former men for information and the made vampire had practically told him that the pack of wolves, who included _pups,_ had been taken to the warehouse in the Glades.

Oliver had killed the vampire and Diggle had been left to dispose of the body while Oliver went for the wolves. As soon as he had gotten into the warehouse though, the Nightcrawlers that were keeping the wolf pack in captivity, started shooting at him with semi-automatic weapons.

“ _I'm here, Oliver!_ ” Diggle called out through the comm-link.

“Don't use the back entrance!” Oliver told him in a whisper over the gunshots. “I used that one and they have me surrounded.”

“ _Front door it is,_ ” Diggle copied. “ _I'm going in in five seconds, Oliver. Be prepared to shoot._ ”

Oliver counted in his head, before finally jumping out from behind the container that he had been using for cover. One of his arrows lodged itself into the vampires shoulder, just as Diggle burst through the front door and started shooting.

His partner took down two of the vampires and Oliver shot another three through the heart. The first vampire he had shot, he had incapacitated by using one of Felicity's special arrows that were filled with vervain. The arrow-tips were mechanical and opened up into a claw-shape as soon as they hit the target, injecting them with the herb that usually knocked them unconscious.

The vampire was screaming, thrashing on the ground, holding onto his shoulder as blood poured out. Oliver approached him with quick steps, aiming and arrow at the monster's head.

“Where are they?” he growled, his voice disoriented.

The vampire was _crying_ , which surprised Oliver, to say the least. The monster, who looked like he was in his early twenties, whined, clutching his shoulder as he stared wide-eyed at Oliver and Diggle, who was now also approaching them.

“I don't know, man,” the vampire spoke. “I swear to God, I'm innocent!”

“I'll only ask you one last time,” Oliver bit out. “Where. Are. The. Wolves?”

The vampire shook his head, tears streaming. “I'm not one of them,” he said. “I got mixed up in some weird shit man, but I ain't one of them.”

Oliver glanced at Diggle who was standing behind the monster, gun aimed at his head just in case. Frowning, Oliver knelt down, reaching for the arrow that was still lodged into the vampire's shoulder. Pulling it out roughly, the kid yelled and Oliver watched as blood poured from the wound.

“Why aren't you healing?” Oliver stared, trying to make sense of what was right in front of him.

The boy paled, staring up at the Hunter, eyes disoriented, “I can't heal because I'm not _like them_.”

“This boy is human,” Diggle spoke, quickly putting his gun away as he started pressing against the wound.

“How the hell is that possible,” Oliver yelled, reaching down to help Diggle.

What was a human boy doing with a bunch of vampires? Oliver had watched the other monsters shrivel up as he and Diggle put them down, so he was one hundred percent sure that _they_ were vampires. He knew that sometimes vampires compelled themselves humans so that they would always have fresh blood with them, but this boy seemed to be there willingly.

“What kind of weird stuff did you get mixed up in?” Diggle asked the boy, who was shaking from the blood loss.

“Vampires, werewolves, that kind of shit,” the boy replied, blood trickling down his chin from the corner of his mouth. “They told me they would turn me, if I promised to bring back a family of wolves I had come across.”

“ _There were_ children _in that family, Oliver,_ ” Felicity hissed. “ _I looked them up. They were a model family, no history of killing or anything. Pack Wolves that only wanted to live a human life in peace!_ ”

“Where did they take the wolves?” Oliver asked, looking down at the boy. The distress in Felicity's voice seemed to have spread over to him, which was a little surprising to be honest.

Pack Wolves weren't that common in Starling City. Most of the wolves in the city were actually Omegas or Blood Wolves, which meant that they were basically lone wolves that exchanged favors with the vampire community. Blood Wolves were the more violent type, and those had been the only kind that had existed on Lian Yu.

Perhaps that was the reason that Oliver had decided to simply hate _all_ wolves?

But _children_ of a Pack Wolf family? They didn't turn until they were eighteen, which meant that they were basically human until they did.

Despite how Oliver may feel about the Dark Ones, he didn't want to believe that children could be corrupted in the way that the other Nightcrawlers that he had come across were.

“I ain't got no clue,” the man on the ground spat. “I swear, they just took them out of here. I don't know where they went.”

Oliver felt anger bubble inside of him; it was another dead end.

Without thinking, he kicked one of the containers, the metal clang echoing through the empty warehouse.

“Damn it!” he swore, his hands balling up into fists. He didn't even hear it when the young man he had shot with the arrow gurgled and coughed.

He didn't even hear it when the boy took his last breath.

-§-

Diggle made sure that they disposed of the bodies. All the vampires were burned, while the young human had been left out in the streets, making his death look like a mugging gone wrong. No one would ever be the wiser and no one would suspect the Hood's involvement in his death.

They returned to the Foundry, tired and beaten. Felicity stood up from her chair, walking over to them immediately. She began checking Diggle for any wounds, but he assured her that he was fine. When she tried to give Oliver a once over, he instantly turned away from her and walked off to the med-bay. He had been grazed by a bullet, but it wasn't anything big, which meant he could basically take care of it himself.

An hour later, he knew he should probably head home or talk to Diggle about what had happened. Felicity was still watching him from where she was sitting on her cot, a pair of black sweats and a pink T-shirt on. She had changed soon after Oliver had insisted that he didn't need any help with stitching himself up, and he was thankful of the fact that she seemed to understand when he needed to be left alone.

Diggle on the other hand was glaring at him, most likely because he wanted Oliver to say _something_ at least.

“Was that the first human you ever killed?”

Felicity's voice startled Oliver, and he looked over at her. Her hair was slightly curled and put up in a messy bun on top of her head, small tendrils falling down at her sides. She was wearing the glasses that she had at first only worn as a cover, but now enjoyed so much that they had become more frequent.

He searched her face for judgment, or anything that would tell him what she was thinking of him at the moment. Her face was carefully blank though, but the quietness of her tone told him everything he needed to know.

“No,” he replied, not wanting to lie to her.

Oliver had in fact killed many humans during the five years that he had been gone. Even before the Island, Oliver had known that the world was a dark place, but he had never actually known to be thankful for the fact that the darkness never touched him in his precious castle. When he had gotten shipwrecked though, he had quickly learned that there was a lot more to it than just bad people. Monsters existed and he had vowed to kill every last one of them.

Sometimes though, the monsters were the humans themselves.

He remembered his time in Hong Kong, when the top secret organization _A.R.G.U.S._ had used him as an assassin. Sure, he had used it to his advantage, training his body up to pretty much a perfect physique that would help him when he finally returned home. He still remembered the first time he had been forced to pull a trigger on a human, but there had been so many bodies dropped after that one, that he wouldn't dare to think about it. It would most likely lead to his own insanity.

The boy in the warehouse tonight, the young man... He had been Oliver's first human kill since he had returned to Starling City. That was why his death had bothered him so much, because he had vowed to himself that he would never kill humans again.

“It probably won't be the last either, Oliver,” Diggle spoke up. “We have promised to help this city and keep the civilians safe from the Dark Ones. That doesn't mean that some of them won't look them up themselves.”

Oliver remained quiet, staring at the floor in front of him.

“Diggle's right, Oliver,” Felicity said softly. “People like that man tonight... There will always be people out there who are seduced by the idea of eternal life.”

“Why would _anyone_ want to turn into one of _them_?” Oliver asked, glaring at Felicity and Diggle. “I don't understand it and I don't think I ever will. What can be so good about being–“ he abruptly stopped himself from speaking any further when he saw the look on Felicity's face.

She was smiling at him sadly, there were even a few tears shining in her eyes. He wanted to apologize; say that he didn't count her when it came to _them_ anymore, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. The blonde hybrid met his eyes and nodded, almost as if she had understood what he had meant to say without him even opening his mouth.

“There must be something we've missed,” Oliver said, deciding to move to a different topic entirely. He knew they would probably get back to the one he had almost started sooner or later, but for now, he needed to clear his head and think about something else. “Is there a possibility that some of the wolves might be going willingly?” he asked, looking from Diggle to Felicity.

“Perhaps,” Diggle agreed. “Turning into a hybrid would have perks, right Felicity?”

“You mean like enhanced strength, going to the top of the food chain after supposedly being on the bottom of it? Sure,” she agreed. “That doesn't mean that all of them know what they're getting themselves into. Also, I don't think parents would risk the life of their children by _trying_ to get them turned into hybrids.”

“Maybe they aren't going to turn the kids?” Oliver suggested. “They wouldn't have turned into full werewolves yet, right? Not until their eighteenth birthday?”

“That depends, Oliver,” Felicity said. “Sometimes they turn earlier, sometimes later. There's no way to know for sure, but usually Pack Wolves make sure that their children learn in time what it means to be a wolf.”

“I can't say I have much experience with Pack Wolves,” Oliver frowned. “Somehow I always end up with Blood Wolves on my hands.”

“Yeah,” Felicity snorted, “those aren't fun at all... Savages, basically.”

Images of the first Blood Wolf Oliver had ever seen flashed through his mind. The wolf had been in the middle of turning during a full moon and one of his friends who had been a little slower in the turning process had been ripped to pieces before Oliver could put a silver dagger that he had gotten from Slade through the wolf's heart.

“Savages,” Oliver muttered in agreement. “Are you sure that other wolves aren't going to your Master of their own free will?”

Felicity's eyes betrayed her anger and annoyance at him when they flashed yellow for a moment. “I didn't,” she bit out, turning away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. Why was she closing herself off like that all of the sudden?

“Hey,” Diggle said softly, reaching for Felicity's arm. “Oliver didn't mean it like that. We know that you don't have a master.”

 _Oh_.

How could he have been so stupid to let an implication of Felicity having a Sire slip out of his mouth? He knew very well how much Felicity hated the idea of someone controlling someone else and he honestly hadn't wanted to insinuate anything or hurt her feelings.

“I know, I know,” Felicity said, brushing it off. “It's just a touchy subject for me, I guess...”

“Felicity, I didn't–“ he started, but she looked up at him and shook her head.

“It's okay, Oliver,” she said quickly. “And it's not important at the moment.”

He nodded curtly, trying to figure out where they should begin next. Even if Felicity hadn't gone willingly with the monster who the hybrids were calling Master, it didn't necessarily mean that the other wolves hadn't done so. At the same time, he knew there was a big chance that Felicity was right too.

He watched the blonde hybrid who sat down by her computers again, starting up another search. The pain that always seemed to be hidden in her eyes whenever he brought up her captivity made him curious. It was clear now that Felicity really hadn't wanted to become a hybrid, but she had never actually told him how she had been turned. It intrigued him, but his curiosity made him sick. He had his secrets and Felicity was entitled to her own.

“The Blood Wolves might be going willingly,” Felicity said, bringing him back from his momentary haze. “They hunger for power and rising from the bottom of the supernatural food chain which means they might be giving themselves over for turning.”

“That makes sense,” Diggle agreed. “It would also explain the few crazy wolves we've come across the last couple of times we've followed a lead.”

Oliver nodded in agreement, “It does make sense, but that still leaves us without a clue on what to do next and we don't know what the other wolves are doing.”

“We need more time,” Felicity concluded. “We might be barking up the wrong tree entirely, no pun intended.”

Oliver fought the grin that threatened to appear and sighed, “We might not have time. All we have to go on so far are speculations and guesses. We need more concrete information.”

“Where do you suggest we find that?” Felicity wondered.

“Bertinelli,” Oliver deadpanned, watching the other two, waiting for their reaction.

“Oliver, you can't seriously be considering going to the Black Rose again,” Diggle said. “After everything that happened last time?”

“We don't have any other choice, Dig,” Oliver said, putting his bow on the table. “Bertinelli is one of the few Dark Ones who know about everything that goes on in the city. If anyone knows anything about the taken wolves, it's him.”

“Or one of his personal lapdogs,” Felicity stated, fingers flowing across the keyboard as she brought up a picture of a girl with jet-black hair and deep blue eyes. “This is Christine Alpert,” she explained. “She is one of the few vampires that never leaves Bertinelli's side. Whatever he might know, she knows too, even if they both pretend that it isn't like that.”

“It might be easier to get to her then,” Diggle pointed out and Oliver had to agree. It would be much easier to catch this Christine person rather than going directly to Bertinelli himself. Tonight he wouldn't be able to do anything though, because it was already too late and he would have a busy day at the office tomorrow.

“Tomorrow night I'll head out and see if I can get a hold of Alpert,” he told Diggle and Felicity. “Do you know anything else on her that might be helpful?” he asked Felicity who nodded.

“All I know is that she's a lamia vampire and I think she might have had a hand in turning Bertinelli a few years ago,” Felicity said. “There is a pretty big chance that she has him claimed as her mate, but I can't be sure. They might just be using each other to gain a stronger hold among the People of Darkness.”

It was a possibility, he guessed. Bertinelli had been doing everything he could to gain more power, so working together with Christine Alpert may just have been a way for him to rise in the ranks of the Dark World.

“We'll deal with it tomorrow,” Oliver said. “John, go home, Felicity, get some sleep.”

He didn't even look at them as he walked to the bathroom to change into his casual clothes. The face of the young man he had killed tonight crossed his mind and he couldn't help but feel frustrated about it.

He had released that arrow without any hesitation. Not once had he thought about the possibility that there were humans among the Dark Ones. Guilt filled him instantly, but at the same time he knew there had been nothing else he could have done. The young man should never have gotten involved with the Nightcrawlers, and that wasn't on Oliver– or at least that was what he needed to keep telling himself.

He stepped out of the bathroom and saw Felicity laying on her cot, her glasses removed and placed on the floor next to a book. She turned her attention to him when he exited and their eyes met for a moment.

Her hair was down, blonde tresses spread out on the pillow as she turned to lay on her side so that she could look at him more properly. She was resting one of her hands underneath the pillow, her head on top of it as she blinked up at him, her eyes asking a thousand questions that he knew he would never be able to answer.

“Good night, Oliver,” Felicity said, her voice low, her eyes never wavering.

He let out a small breath as his eyes traveled across her petite form on the bed before returning to connect once again with hers, “Good night, Felicity.”

-§-

The following day, Moira Queen walked into the office side by side with her son. After the small disagreement they had had about Oliver and his Executive Assistant two weeks prior, she had backed off a little when it came to the blonde.

“Walter called earlier,” Moira said as they entered the elevator. “He said he would be returning from Central City tonight.”

“Thea's been missing him,” Oliver said, “and I know you have too.” There was another beat of silence between them, which Moira had become accustomed to by now.

If there was one thing Moira Queen was afraid of, it was losing her children. The main reason that she had gotten off of Oliver's back about Felicity Smoak was because she feared that if she pushed her son too far, he might leave her altogether, which wasn't something she was going to accept.

“Yes,” she nodded thoughtfully, her mind drifting off to her husband instead, “I have missed him.”

Oliver only nodded curtly, “Well then, I'm glad he's coming back tonight. I have to go now though. the head of the Applied Science Division had some papers for me to sign before they can begin with their new projects. See you later, Mother.” He kissed her cheek and then walked off, not waiting for her to say anything else in return. Moira stared after him, hating the drift she seemed to have caused between them, but most of all hating that all it had taken was some blonde for it to appear.

Truth be told, sometimes Moira wondered if it was actually just her own fault. Late at night she caught herself thinking about what would happen if her own secrets caught up with her and she loathed the fact that she would most likely lose her children either way.

Or at least that was what Walter had told her before he had left for Central City.

The two of them had had a disagreement the morning before he had left. He had come across a small notebook that Moira had told him not to look any further into because she was afraid of what might happen to him if someone else found out that he knew more than he should know.

“Mrs. Queen, Mr. Merlyn is here to see you,” her temporary assistant told her as she walked toward her office.

“Thank you, Sasha,” Moira nodded curtly, already feeling her gut tighten at the thought of seeing Malcolm Merlyn, the father of her son's best friend.

She walked into her office, closing the door behind her as she eyes the man who was standing with his back toward her. He was looking at the city through the window, not doing or saying anything to acknowledge her, even though she knew perfectly well that he knew she was there.

He was wearing a well-tailored suit, as always, his hair impeccably perfect. One of his hands was resting on the window while the other hung loosely at his side as he slowly turned to face her.

“Good morning, Moira,” he said, his voice the epitome of calmness, sending chills through her body.

“Good morning, Malcolm,” she replied, eying him cautiously, knowing that the chills weren't the good kind. “To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you so early today?”

“I wanted to personally make sure that your husband isn't asking any questions,” Malcolm told her, watching her with that cold stare of his.

How had he known?

 _It's Malcolm_ , she reminded herself. _Of course he knows._

“Walter isn't asking anything,” she told him. “I swear that he doesn't know anything.”

Malcolm walked around her desk, walking closer to her as he rested his hand on her shoulder. She resisted the shudder that threatened to course through her body, keeping her eyes level with his.

“I really hope that is the case,” Malcolm said. “We wouldn't want anything interfering with our plans. Or _anyone_ , for that matter.”

Moira smiled at him in a way so that it would be obvious that she didn't mean it, “Of course.” She moved away from his hand and walked to her chair where she sat down behind her desk, clasping her hands together in front of her. “I have Walter under control and he isn't going to ask any questions or look into anything that could lead back to you,” she assured him.

“I'm glad to hear that,” Malcolm nodded. “We would hate for something _unfortunate_ to happen to him, wouldn't we? We don't want a repeat of what happened to Robert.”

“I've made sure that all the yachts my family owns have been disposed of,” Moira bitterly said, but it only brought out a smile out of Malcolm as he laughed.

“That was a good one, Moira,” he chuckled, but there wasn't a hint of amusement in his eyes. His face turned serious and he watched her quietly for another minute. “You know why we have to do this,” he said, stalking toward the desk. He gripped the edges tightly, knuckles turning white as his eyes bore into hers.

“I know,” she answered, her glare equally cold. “Now, I would appreciate it if you called the next time you decide to barge into my office.”

“Just wanted to make sure we were still on the same page,” he told her, stepping away from the desk.

“That doesn't mean that everything else is going according to plan,” Moira said. “We've had to move up our plans for two years now; ever since the Hood came to Starling City.”

“Robin Hood isn't going to be a problem for us this time,” Malcolm snapped. “He's playing his own part in all of this without even knowing that he is. When the right time comes, he will be brought down too, but for now, he's actually being useful.”

“Whoever he is, he ruined your original plan,” Moira pointed our. “How come you haven't looked him up sooner? With your resources, I'm sure you would have been able to find out his identity.”

Malcolm shook his head, that eery smile still etched on his face, “It will all fall into place soon, Moira. Don't you worry about it.” He checked his watch and sent her another curt nod, “I have to go. I finally got Tommy to make lunch plans with me.”

“That's nice,” Moira said. “Send Tommy my congratulations on the engagement. I heard on the news that Ms. Lance seemed over-joyed during the proposal.”

“One would think that the paparazzi have better things to do than follow around my son when he's taking a walk through the park with his girlfriend,” Malcolm muttered and suddenly, Moira felt like she was taken back to the time before Malcolm's wife had died. They had been friends back then; all of them.

Things had changed though and now they were all just using each other for their own ulterior motives.

“I had a hard time getting them off of Oliver's back when he came back home,” Moira agreed. “They don't have anything better to do,” she stated.

Malcolm remained quiet for a while until he met her eyes again, “You have a good day, Moira.” With those words, he headed for the door, opening it, but then froze a second later.

Moira stood from her seat as she watched Oliver's Executive Assistant standing on the other side of the door, a stack of papers in her hand. She looked taken aback, clearly having not expected someone to open the door before she had been able to knock.

“Mr. Merlyn!” the blonde blurted out, eyes wide. “Tommy's father, right? I'm sorry, I recognize you from the news, I–”

“And you are?” Malcolm's eyes narrowed in on her as Moira stepped forward. No matter how she felt about Felicity, she wouldn't want Malcolm doing anything to actually hurt the woman, who until proven otherwise, had done nothing wrong.

“This is Felicity, Oliver's E.A.,” she explained. “What can I help you with, Ms. Smoak,” she asked, changing the subject.

“Oh, uh,” Felicity lifted the papers, “Oliver asked me to bring these to you. He told me to tell you that he'd signed them already, but that he would appreciate you looking through them one last time before you give your approval as well.”

She'd said it all in one breath, which was rather impressive. Moira nodded at her, “You can put them on my desk and I'll read them through.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Queen,” Felicity smiled, making it that much harder for Moira to hold on to those unexplained suspicions that she held for the girl. Whenever Felicity smiled, there was some kind of innocence shining through her, and it made it really difficult for Moira to stay wary of the girl. “Mr. Merlyn, it was a pleasure to meet you,” Felicity said, holding her hand out for Malcolm to shake.

He took it without any hint of hesitation, still looking intently at the girl, “Pleasure was all mine, Ms. Smoak.”

The blonde offered them both one last smile before she turned around and walked away. Malcolm turned back to Moira and she could see the wheels turning inside of his head. Just when she thought he was going to say something, a mask of impassiveness covered his face. “Have a good day, Moira,” he said, walking out of the office.

Moira closed her door and walked over to her desk, sinking into her chair as she let out a breath that she hadn't even known she had been holding.

-§-

Oliver watched as Felicity hurried back to her desk after he had asked her to take some files to his mother. There was a frown etched on her face and Oliver wondered whether his mother had said something to her.

His mother seemed to have backed away from Felicity these last two weeks and Oliver was hoping that it would stay that way. If Moira stayed away from the hybrid, he wouldn't constantly have to think about the possible outcomes of a confrontation, which would most likely lead to his own secrets unraveling.

Oliver stood up from his desk and walked out to Felicity, who was sitting in her chair, typing away on her keyboard with one hand while simultaneously flipping through something on her tablet.

“Everything go okay?” he asked, his index finger rubbing against the pad of his thumb.

“Yeah, everything went fine,” Felicity replied calmly, looking up at him with a smile. “I bumped into Malcolm Merlyn though,” she added thoughtfully.

“Tommy's dad was visiting my mother?” Oliver frowned.

“Yeah,” Felicity drawled. “I didn't overhear their conversation though, if that's what you're wondering. I would never listen in on your mother or spy on her or anything else like that. Without your permission, I mean.”

Oliver shook his head, an amused chuckle escaping, “Why would I ever need you to spy on my mother?”

“No idea,” Felicity shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to put it out there.”

Oliver nodded thoughtfully before speaking, “Did they say something to you?”

“No,” Felicity replied. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Oliver quickly said. “You just came in here looking a little down, I guess, and I suppose I just wanted to...” he trailed off as she looked up at him with those bright blue eyes of hers. Another blinding smile spread across her face and he could have sworn that her eyes changed color into that mischievous golden tone of hers.

“Were you concerned for me, Oliver?” she asked him, her voice low and... _sultry?_

His mind went into hyper-mode almost instantly, replaying the images of her that usually haunted him at night.

Those very, _very_ inappropriate images.

“No!” he protested, maybe a little too quickly because Felicity's grin only widened and a light blush spread across her cheeks.

They looked at each other for a moment without saying anything. Oliver didn't want to be the first one to break, so he refused to look away or say anything else. He had a feeling that whatever he said would most likely be misinterpreted and he would end up flushed, which was something that was becoming a habit whenever Felicity was around.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to say or do anything, because he could hear the distinct sound of footsteps coming closer.

“Ollie?” Thea said as he walked into the room. Both Felicity and Oliver turned around at the same time to face the young brunette and in his mind, Oliver decided that he stare-down had ended as a draw. “What are you two up to?” Thea asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at the two of them.

“Nothing,” Felicity shrugged. “What are you doing here, Thea?”

Thea raised an eyebrow at the blonde, lips tugging up in a smile, “Nice to see you too, Felicity.”

“Sorry,” Felicity grinned back sheepishly.

“But the question remains,” Oliver said. “What are you doing here, Speedy?”

“Worst nickname _ever_ ,” Thea groaned, like she usually did whenever he called her that, rolling her eyes at him. “I came to ask you to lunch actually.”

“Me?” Oliver frowned.

He and Thea used to get lunch together a lot after he returned from Lian Yu, but these last few weeks that his sister had become friends with Felicity, she had come to almost prefer the blonde hybrids company over his. He didn't exactly mind it anymore though, because he trusted Felicity with keeping Thea safe even if he wasn't there. The hybrid had made it clear just how protective she was of his sister since Thea's birthday party and he couldn't deny that he was thankful for that.

“Yeah, you,” Thea giggled. “Although, Felicity could always join us, right?” His sister looked over at the blonde who turned to look at him.

“It's alright,” Felicity stammered, “I wouldn't want to impose on your sibling bonding session.”

“Oh, you wouldn't be imposing at all!” Thea said quickly. “Right, Ollie?” The younger Queen gave him a pointed look and he narrowed his eyes at her.

What was she doing?

“Of course not,” he said after a seconds thought. “You can tag along, Felicity. You'll need to get yourself some lunch either way, won't you? This way we can make sure to get back on time; the both of us.”

“You mean that _I_ can make sure that _you_ get back on time?” Felicity deadpanned. “Because _I_ am always on time.”

Oliver shrugged as if to say 'whatever' and Felicity nodded slowly. He wanted Felicity to come with him and Thea, mostly to show his sister that he honestly couldn't care less about Felicity in the sense of a potential _something_. Even though his mother might have backed off of asking him about his relationship with his Executive Assistant, his sister hadn't yet given up on her quest to somehow force the two of them together. Since Tommy's engagement to Laurel had hit the news, Thea had let Oliver know _just_ how _perfect_ Felicity would be to have as a date for the wedding, which wasn't even planned yet. Felicity herself had told Oliver one night in the lair that his sister had started picking out dresses for her, even though she probably wouldn't even be invited to the wedding, whenever it came around. Oliver had accidentally let it slip that Thea had made it clear to him that she was assuming that he would be bringing Felicity as his plus one and the blonde hybrid had blushed at the comment.

He needed to show his sister that he and Felicity were nothing more than business partners, without somehow revealing his own secrets.

“Okay, I guess I'll join you,” Felicity said, standing from her chair as she turned off her computers.

Oliver watched her as she bent down to reach for her shoulder bag that she had placed on the floor, trying not to focus on the way the fabric of her orange dress clung to her form. He turned his gaze away from her ass just in time to meet Thea's eyes, who had been watching him intently.

As the smirk spread on his sister's face, he realized that explaining the existence of the People of Darkness would probably be easier than trying to convince Thea that there was nothing going on between him and Felicity.

-§-

They went to a small Sushi place two blocks from Queen Consolidated. Oliver sat down on one side of the booth while Thea and Felicity squeezed in together on the other side. At first Thea had tried to not-so-subtly tell Oliver to sit next to Felicity, but Felicity had made up some lame excuse about how she would need to use the bathroom a thousand times because of some cold or something and that the seat next to Thea was closer to the ladies room.

Thea didn't seem to buy it, but didn't say anything else on the matter.

Everything was going good. They were talking and having a laugh as Thea told Felicity about some of the things that Oliver had done in his younger years. It surprised Oliver how incredibly infectious Felicity's laugh was and he even caught himself smiling genuinely a few times himself. Her eyes seemed to shine every time laughter vibrated through her and she squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking from the corners as she giggled at one of Thea's stories.

It was all well, until Felicity stood up to 'use the bathroom' (because she hadn't used it even once since they had sat down, which Thea had promptly pointed out). His hybrid- _The hybrid,_ turned around just as some guy, about Oliver's age, bumped straight into her, covering the front of her dress with raw fish.

Felicity squeaked out in surprise as Thea gasped. Oliver instantly stood up, reaching for Felicity who had stumbled back, almost tripping over her own feet. He caught her around the waist and looked down at her flushed face, “Are you okay?”

He had spoken so low that he was sure that Felicity was the only one who had heard him, due to her hybrid-hearing. Felicity nodded, the movement barely noticeable as she steadied herself on her feet.

“I'm so sorry,” the man who had walked into her apologized. He reached for the napkins on their table, “I can help you clean up.” It was clear that the man knew _very well_ what he was doing as he moved toward Felicity's chest where most of the spill had ended up and Oliver immediately saw red. Oliver drew Felicity back, putting himself between her and the man who froze as his eyes widened.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Oliver growled at him, eyes shooting arrows into the man's head.

“I-I'm sorry,” the man stuttered as Oliver towered over him, seeing that there was nothing close to a sincere apology in the man's eyes. Oliver was at least a foot taller than the man who at least had the decency to blush furiously.

“I suggest you take a step back before I show you just how sorry you should be,” Oliver glared.

“Oliver, it's okay,” Felicity said, grabbing his arm.

The stranger's eyes flew over to Felicity before lowering, his gaze once again landing on the blonde's chest. Inside, Oliver felt his emotions flare up.

“Take your goddamn eyes off of her before I remove them myself with her fork,” Oliver snarled, taking another threatening step toward the man.

He didn't even know what had come over him, but he was suddenly very aware of the entire restaurant having their eyes on the scene that was playing out. “I suggest, you apologize to the lady,” Oliver bit out.

The look on the man's face darkened suddenly as he looked over at Felicity. “I'm sorry _lady_ ,” he sneered. “I didn't know you had an asshole of a boyfriend.”

Oliver started to draw back his arm to punch the stupid piece of shit in the face, but Felicity firmly held him back, clearly using her hybrid-strength.

“Hey,” Thea suddenly blurted out, “just back off nicely before things get ugly.”

The creep looked over at his sister, eyes traveling over her body. Oliver started to say something else, but Felicity beat him to it, “You better walk away before I show you just how much I don't need my _awesome boyfriend_ to defend my honor, when I can just kick your ass myself.”

There was a gasp or two heard in the restaurant but Felicity paid no mind to it as she glared the creep down. Oliver's heart beat just a little bit faster when she had referred to him as her boyfriend, but he wasn't sure why. All he knew was that he really hoped that Felicity hadn't picked up on it, considering that she was most likely able to hear it and feel it, since she was still holding onto his arm, pulling him back.

The creep seemed to realize that he had embarrassed himself enough, so he just turned around and walked away. Felicity pulled Oliver back, pushing him to take his seat again as she slid into the booth, right next to him.

“What the hell was all that about?” she glared at him.

“Nothing,” Oliver defended. “He almost _touched_ you, Felicity!” Oliver pointed out in a whisper-shout when she gave him that look that told him that she didn't believe him.

“So? Don't you think I could have handled him myself?” Felicity frowned.

“Well, you didn't really need to refer to me as your boyfriend,” Oliver deadpanned, shooting her an equal glare.

“I just played the hand that was dealt,” Felicity told him. “You were the one who wanted to punch the guy. I had it under control.”

“Didn't look like you had it under control,” Oliver snorted, rolling his eyes.

“I don't need you to _protect_ me, Oliver,” Felicity snapped at him.

“I wasn't _protecting_ you,” Oliver retorted. “I was just–”

“ _Okay_ ,” Thea drawled, “why don't we just take a breath? The situation had been handled, so there's no need to talk about it anymore.”

“Fine,” Oliver said, still glaring down at Felicity.

“ _Great,_ ” the blonde sarcastically remarked, looking as if she was ready to jump into another argument with him.

“But if you ask me, it _totally_ looked like you were jealous, Ollie,” Thea added.

“ _No one asked you!_ ”

Oliver turned back to stare at Felicity who had spoken at the same time as him. There was a pink tint on her cheeks as she refused to remove her gaze from him.

A sudden urge to do something bubbled up inside of him. He wasn't exactly unaccustomed to the feeling, because it had occurred to him several times since he had first met her. His heart was beating hard in his chest and he willed himself to calm down, but his eyes betrayed him as they flickered down to her fuchsia colored lips before once again meeting her bright blue irises.

He wanted to kiss her, and that thought alone was what made him finally look away from her, knowing that he needed to get himself under control before he made that spectacularly stupid mistake.

He glanced over at his sister, who was grinning from ear to ear and for the rest of their lunch, he remained awkwardly quiet, refusing to look at the blonde who didn't move from her new seat beside him.

All he knew was that he couldn't wait for this day to be over.

-§-

Later that evening Oliver was taking out his frustration on the dummies down in the Foundry as he prepared for going on a hunt for Christine Alpert. It was still early and he knew he had a few hours until the People of Darkness would start roaming the streets more openly, which meant that he had time to release some tension that had set in him during his long day.

The lunch he had shared with his sister and Felicity had gone from good to bad to awkward within less than an hour and he knew that most of it had been his own fault. Felicity had been right when she had told him that she could have handled the situation herself, but he would never admit it out loud to her because he was simply stubborn like that. What confused him the most though was his own reaction to the man that had been creeping on Felicity.

Why had he acted the way he had? Like a jealous boyfriend?

When he had begun his training session he had thought a lot about that. He blamed his reaction solely on being concerned that Felicity might lose her control or something, but he knew very well that if anyone was in control of her emotions, it was Felicity.

Truthfully, at times, he thought that the hybrid was better at keeping her emotions in check than he was, which was saying a lot considering that she was _a hybrid._

Instead of dwelling on that, his mind instead went to the other issue; his urge to kiss Felicity senseless. That one he blamed on their little argument at first, until he realized that it meant that he must have been somewhat turned on by said argument. Searching for another excuse though proved to be useless because even though Oliver might be good at lying to others, he wasn't very good at lying to himself.

“Hey, Oliver?”

He punched the dummy extra hard and then turned to face the blonde who had been occupying his thoughts. His breath was coming out in heavy pants and he knew that he would have to take a shower before he went out on his hunt tonight. As he eyed Felicity, he noticed that she had changed into her training clothes which consisted of a pair of dark gray yoga pants and a large black T-shirt.

“What are you wearing?” he grunted, looking over her attire.

She pulled a little on the T-shirt, playing with the hem of it. Was she nervous?

“I was thinking that maybe since Diggle won't be coming in tonight, the two of us could train together?” she suggested. “I mean, I could give you a better work out than those dummies, right?”

He raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly released the T-shirt she was holding onto. “And by 'work out', I actually do mean work out, as in training. Not any other form of physical activity that would also make us burn calories.”

“Felicity–” Oliver started but was quickly interrupted by the hybrid who was too busy explaining herself to actually hear him say her name.

“I'm not saying that we would be working out to burn calories. It would be more of a stress-relief-kind-of-thing,” she clarified. “Which doesn't sound any better now that I say it out loud.”

“Felicity!” Oliver said loudly, trying to rid himself of the images of them doing _other physical activities to burn calories_ out of his head. “Just–” he took a breath and gave her a pointed look, “Just get on the mat.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes lighting up immediately.

“Yes, before I change my mind,” Oliver groaned, turning around so that he could put away the dummy. When he turned back around, he froze momentarily as he watched her pull her shirt over her head, leaving her in a hot-pink sports bra with black stripes.

 _Shit_.

Tearing his eyes away from the area that the garment covered, he cleared his throat, “So, how do you want to do this?”

“How about you attack and I evade and then we switch?” she suggested. “It can be good for you to practice taking down a hybrid, especially with the impending hybrid army coming around.”

“Mhm...” he mumbled his agreement, not giving her a second to prepare as he launched.

Felicity proved to be quite a good training partner. He managed to keep his mind clear of any inappropriate thoughts for the better part of the first thirty minutes. She instructed him on a hybrids weaknesses and showed him what pressure points to push at if he ever ended up in hand to hand combat with one of the monsters. Using her hybrid speed, she showed him what advantages a hybrid would have over him, but despite those, he managed to pin her to the mat almost every single time.

When it was her turn to advance at him, he didn't hold back as he fought back, copying the way she had moved before. It was almost too easy to evade her attacks, which made him wonder if she was letting him win on purpose. He had seen her training with Diggle and he knew that she had been a lot smarter with her offense then.

“Don't hold back,” he grunted as he dodged her punch, jabbing her in her elbow in return.

“What makes you think I'm holding back?” she panted, eyes glimmering yellow as she pounced at him, throwing punches at him. Her movements picked up in speed and he knew immediately that she was teasing him.

“You aren't a fighter,” he told her. “You don't plan any of your movements. You're all over the place.”

“I didn't know you needed to follow a manuscript in a fight,” Felicity replied, jumping as she spun around, leg out to kick Oliver in the ribs. She almost managed to get the kick in, but he caught her foot, pulling her toward him in the last second.

The blonde struggled to balance herself out, bending the leg he had caught at her knee, which ultimately only led to her ending up pressed tightly against Oliver. They stared at each other, panting, chest to chest, noses almost brushing. One of Felicity's hands had ended up on Oliver's shoulder as she tried to keep her balance while Oliver's held onto her upper arm so that she wouldn't be able to get another hit in. The hand that was holding onto her calf slowly slid up to rest on the back of her thigh.

He wanted to say something about how she needed to be prepared for the unexpected when she was in a fight, but this time, he had caught himself off guard so he couldn't bring himself to utter any words. Instead, he remained staring at her almost dumbly, aching to know what was going through her mind.

“This is why I always win,” he said suddenly, forcing himself out of his thoughts. “I see your sloppy moves and I predict what you're going to do next way too easily. You make yourself an easy target to take down by being predictable.”

Felicity hummed lowly, gazing into his eyes. A smirk started spreading on her lips suddenly and all he knew was that he had seen her eyes turn golden and then he was suddenly laying on his back with Felicity on top of him, straddling him.

The hybrid had surprised him when she had pushed off the ground with her leg and wrapped that one around his waist, using both legs to hold onto him as she quickly twisted her upper body, using the momentum of his surprise an advantage when she pulled him back toward her. He had staggered when she had twisted and somehow, before her own back had hit the mat, she had flipped them over in the air so that Oliver had ended up below her.

Her knees now rested on either side of his body as she sat on his bare stomach. His hands were pinned above his head and he knew that even if he struggled to get free, she would only use her strength to keep him down.

“Maybe my tactic is being predictable so that my opponent doesn't see my _real_ attack coming?” she pointed out, sounding almost innocent. Her hair was sticking out in a few places, some shorter strands plastered to her face. He could see a bead of sweat slowly making its way from behind her neck toward her front as she loomed over him. The drop traveled slowly across her skin before disappearing under her sports bra.

“Clever,” he admitted his defeat, voice hoarse as he tore his eyes away from the article of clothing that somehow always ended up getting his attention. Her grip on his wrists loosened and he acted on pure instinct when he rolled them over.

Her legs were still wrapped around his waist as he hovered over her, his hands now on her bare waist. The hybrid blinked up at him a few times, and suddenly, he was too much aware of how close their faces were.

Felicity's hands were pressed between their chests, palms plat on his and without thinking, his fingers tightened slight on her waist. Years could have passed for all that Oliver knew, but all he could see was the way that Felicity's tongue darted out to wet her lips.

The urge he had had earlier came back and it made Oliver realize just how foolish he had been to agree to train with Felicity. The strangest thing occurred to him though...

No matter how much he wanted to be able to say that the situation was awkward or unwelcome, he couldn't, because to be quite frank, it felt almost a bit too natural to be this close to Felicity.

Before he could say anything though, Felicity's voice broke through his thoughts.

“You should probably go take a shower and get ready for your hunt,” she told him. “Christine Alpert is probably going to make her way toward the Black Rose within the witching hour, so you need to get going.”

“Uh, yeah,” he cleared his throat. “You're right.”

Felicity's legs came to rest on the mat as she released her grip on him and Oliver quickly stood up. The hybrid leaned up on her elbows, still laying down as she looked up at him through still half-hooded eyes. He offered her his hands without thinking and she took it without any hint of hesitation.

After helping her stand up, they watched each other for another few seconds before he moved toward the bathroom. He needed to get out of the lair as soon as possible before he did something he was sure he would regret.

Still, before he entered the bathroom, he turned to give Felicity one last look, only to see her staring back at him, an absentminded and thoughtful look on her face.

-§-

“Christine Alpert,” Oliver growled, the voice modulator changing his voice as he stared at the vampire in front of him that he had cornered a few blocks away from the Black Rose.

“The Hood,” the vampire nodded curtly, acknowledging him without letting any emotions betray her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“It has come to my attention that the People of Darkness are planning something for Starling City,” Oliver said. “I want information and I figured that a lamia vampire such as yourself would be the best way to get it.”

The vampire kept looking at him as if she was bored, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder, “Is that so? Care to enlighten me as to what these supposed plans are?”

“Someone is taking werewolves and turning them into hybrids,” Oliver snapped. “I want to know who it is and where they take the wolves.”

A grin spread on the vampires face as she walked toward him slowly. “Do I really look like I would give a damn about some _mutts_?” she asked him. “Why the hell would I help create more hybrids? That would just undermine my own authority in this city!”

“Tell me what you know!” Oliver demanded, not buying the vampire's words.

“ _I don't think she knows anything,_ ” Felicity whispered in his ear.

“Tell me what you know about the Undertaking,” Oliver said anyway, watching as the vampires eyes suddenly glazed over.

“The Undertaking?” she asked, her voice low. “I don't know where you get your information from, Hunter, but the Undertaking _clearly_ isn't what you think–”

A loud gasp escaped from the vampire as she staggered back. A black arrow was embedded inside of her chest and Oliver quickly turned around to look for the person who had shot it. He heard another arrow be released, this time seeing the source of it.

On top of a building, on the other side of the street, stood a man with almost entirely black clothes. A mask covered his face and the only thing Oliver could see from down in the alley was that the man held a bow in his hand.

“ _What happened?_ ” Felicity wanted to know, but all Oliver could do was stare as the other archer slowly retreated from the rooftop. Oliver turned around and looked at Alpert who was laying flat on her back, two arrows embedded in her heart, her skin turned ashen and shriveled up.

“Alpert is dead,” Oliver spoke into the comm-link.

“ _Did you...?_ ” Felicity trailed off and Oliver's jaw tightened.

“No,” he told the hybrid. “Someone else did.”

-§-

“ _The Hood strikes again! Tonight a woman was struck down by the Starling City vigilante a few hours after midnight in the Glades. Reports have been coming in all week long about the masked archer upping his game, killing people who have done nothing wrong in the eye of the public. Despite the police's search for the vigilante known as the Hood, a key member in the search team– Detective Quentin Lance– does not believe that these recent killing have anything to do with the vigilante, but rather a copycat killer–_ ”

Felicity turned down the volume on the computer as Detective Lance appeared on the screen, talking about how signs in his investigation pointed to someone copying the Hood's M.O.

“How did we miss this?” Felicity asked Oliver, who was standing next to her with his arms crossed over his chest. “According to the data I've looked up, this copycat has been killing people from left to right all week long.”

“The police have been thinking that the Hood has been responsible for the deaths,” Oliver pointed out. “But you're right, we should have noticed if they talked about it on the news.”

“First of all,” Felicity began, “I don't particularly feel like 'the Hood' is a good name for you. I mean, sure, you wear a hood and all that, but couldn't people think about something a little more creative?” Oliver gave her a look and Felicity shrugged, “Either way... I checked out the previous murders and all of them have been people from the Glades who supposedly 'aren't important enough' to bring up on the news. Christine Alpert is a shareholder in some companies around Starling City, so her name had kind of been heard of before.”

Felicity observed Oliver as he watched the screen intently, Detective Lance sharing his theory about a copycat. She could tell that the man in front of her was tired and it was obvious that whatever had gone down tonight in the Glades, he hadn't been expecting it. Who could have?

“I didn't have a chance to take out one of the arrows before the police showed up,” Oliver told her. “The other archer must have tipped them off, but who knows if he actually knew that I would be there.”

“I don't think he knew,” Felicity contemplated out loud. “He was standing on the other side of the street, on top of a high building, as if he had been on his way to get Alpert but stopped when he saw you already confronting her.”

“He killed her before she had a chance to give me any information on the Undertaking,” Oliver said. “I could tell by the look on her face that she knew something, but now we'll never know unless we go to her superiors directly, which would be a huge risk all on its own.”

“We could always look up Bertinelli, but I don't think he would be willing to talk considering that the person rumored to have turned him was killed tonight,” Felicity said. “ _Or_ , we could go directly to the only person who seems to believe that you aren't the one behind _these_ killings.”

She had thought about it the moment Quentin Lance had appeared on her computer screen, insisting that this wasn't the work of the Hood even though the rest of the police department thought it was. During the Unidac Auction she had seen that Detective Lance wasn't a bad man. He was probably one of the few in the police department that wasn't corrupted in some way by the People of Darkness, but that was probably because he seemed to have no idea that they actually existed.

“Lance, you mean,” Oliver stated, looking at the screen as said man walked off the podium. “I hardly think he'll be willing to help me.”

“You've gotten his help before though, right?” Felicity questioned anyway. She remembered that she had found evidence of the Hood working with the Detective before she joined Oliver's team.

“Those were during special circumstances,” Oliver replied.

“It's worth a chance though,” Felicity insisted. “If he really believes that it's the work of a copycat killer, he'll probably be more than willing to help.”

“Lance can't know the truth about the People of Darkness though,” Oliver said. “I don't think he would believe me even if I told him the truth.”

“I'm always willing to prove that you're telling the truth,” Felicity shrugged, internally not liking the idea of exposing herself like that, but deciding that if it ever came to it, she would do it wholeheartedly. “Besides, there have been human victims among this copycat's kills. Drug dealers, yes, but not supernatural ones in any kind.”

“In that case, I guess I can see if Detective Lance is willing to borrow me one of those arrows that was used to kill Alpert,” he said, opening a drawer to pull out a phone. “The last time I was forced to contact Lance, I used this phone. Hopefully, he hasn't thrown away the one I left him.”

Pushing a few buttons, Oliver held the phone to his ear, waiting for the detective to pick up.

Felicity turned back around as she began her hack on the police department to see if they had anything to add with their on-going investigation.

-§-

Oliver stood on the rooftop of the police department, waiting for Lance to arrive. He had been skeptic at first about Felicity's suggestion that he contacted the detective, but Lance hadn't sounded surprised when he had given him the call.

“I was expecting to hear from you soon,” a voice that he recognized as the Detective's was heard behind him. Oliver turned around slowly, making sure to bow his head a little in order for the shadows to hide his face even more.

“I'm not the one who killed Alpert,” Oliver said, his voice coming out modified due to the voice modulator.

“I know,” Lance returned. “I've been trying to tell my superiors the same, but they don't seem willing to accept my theory of a copycat.”

Oliver remained still, prepared for any type of ambush (which wouldn't be the first time when it came to his meetings with Quentin Lance). Oliver still felt horrible for the pain he had caused Quentin when he had caused the death of his youngest daughter, Laurel's sister, Sara. In a way, Oliver knew that Lance had every reason to hate Oliver Queen, and sometimes, he wondered whether that hate had been transformed into a hate for the Hood, even if the detective technically wasn't aware of his secret identity.

Lance watched him for a moment before sighing, “I'm breaking a lot of laws by giving you this, but I have no other choice if we're going to catch Ms. Alpert's _real_ killer.” He held out a container and Oliver reached for it, opening it to see the black arrow from the other archer.

“Thank you, Detective,” Oliver said. “Whatever I find, I'll bring it to you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Quentin muttered. “Do me a favor and try to catch this bastard alive so that we can actually put him on trial.”

Oliver didn't say anything. Instead, he ran to the ledge of the building, using one of his special arrows to swing across the street and land safely close to his hidden motorcycle, driving back to his secret lair where Felicity was waiting for him.

-§-

Oliver walked into the warehouse, arrow nocked and bow raised, prepared for any kind of threat.

It had taken Felicity less than five minutes to find the arrow's shipment information and trace the location of the delivery. Oliver had been impressed by her, to say the least and he would probably never forget the look on the blonde's face when he had told her that she had done a good job.

Felicity had insisted that he wait for Diggle, or at least allow her to come with him, but Oliver had refused. Something as important as eliminating this other archer couldn't wait and he didn't really think he had a choice in the matter.

He needed to do this alone.

“ _Oliver,_ ” Felicity sounded in his ear. “ _Dig is here. Don't do anything stupid._ ”

“I don't need a distraction,” Oliver growled, doing exactly what he knew Felicity feared he would do; he turned off the comm-link without any hesitation.

He could imagine the frustrated looks on both Diggle's and Felicity's faces, but he meant what he had said. He couldn't have them talking in his ear when he needed to be aware of everything around him. Yao Fei and Slade had taught him to always mind his surroundings and that lesson had saved his life on multiple occasions.

Of course, his plan on minding his surroundings pretty much went to hell when he entered one hallway, only to find a man wearing all black in front of him, bow raised, aiming straight at Oliver.

Taking in the man's features, Oliver realized that he wasn't much bigger than him, if he even _was_ bigger; it was hard to tell from the black suit he was wearing.

The man's face was covered, only a small spring open for his eyes to be able to see, but he was too far for Oliver to actually notice anything particular that might be useful in identifying him.

“Finally,” the masked man said, “I've been waiting to cross paths with you.”

Much like Oliver, he was using some kind of device to disorient his voice. Oliver tightened his grip on his bow, now understanding what Felicity had once said about the voice modulator being creepy. It was bad enough that he couldn't actually look this foe in the eyes, so it was even worse that he couldn't hear his real voice. At least then, the opponent might seem a little bit more human.

“What do you want?” Oliver growled, holding his bow up and ready for a fight.

A robotic chuckle sounded in the small hallway, making chills rise inside of Oliver, “What every archer wants; to see who's best.”

With those words, the man in the dark clothes moved so quickly that Oliver barely had time to react. After releasing an arrow, the other archer instantly nocked another one, sending that one flying in Oliver's direction as well. Oliver was forced to both dodge and jump, while at the same time retaliating with two arrows of his own.

Somehow, they ended up in another room, scaling the various containers and walls, trying to get the upper hand of each other. Oliver could tell by the way that the other man was fighting that he was human, but he was well trained and he put up a good fight.

Oliver tried to anticipate his next move, but he ended up miscalculating and received a punch in his gut. They had left the arrows behind, it seemed, as they engaged in hand to hand combat instead. The other arched moved quickly and Oliver wondered briefly if he had been wrong; the speed in his movements would suggest a supernatural creature, but of course, a human too could have been trained to have this kind of quick responses.

Oliver didn't know how it happened, but he suddenly he staggered to the cold floor, screaming in agony as the archer kicked him in the ribs, over and over again. Just as he was about to stand up, to keep fighting even though his arms ached and his hands trembled and cold sweat had covered him from top to toe, he heard how the other archer released another arrow which ended up in his right shoulder, not far from the spot that Yao Fei had once shot him through.

Oliver screamed out, pain coursing through him once again and he felt how the blood was already seeping through his green suit. In the distance, he heard a low chuckle and footsteps as the other archer calmly walked away from the scene, but he could barely breathe through the pain, much less do anything to stop him from going.

He reached up to his ear, activating the comm-link once again.

“ _Oliver!_ ” Felicity's voice rang out immediately, worry etched in it along with a thousand other emotions that Oliver didn't want to decipher.

“Felicity... Send me Diggle... I'm...” he grunted out, trying to take a breath, but the air seemed to be knocked out of his lungs.

“ _He's already on his way,_ ” Felicity told him, a slight tremble in her voice. “ _Oliver, stay with me_. _Just, don't close your eyes, okay? Focus on my voice._ ”

Oliver's eyes felt heavy though, as they slowly fluttered shut. He could feel his strength leaving him completely, the pain going numb.

“Mhm...” he mumbled in agreement, but he ended up closing his eyes anyway.

The last thing he thought of before darkness embraced him, was how he wanted to tell Felicity that she had a nice voice, and that he actually didn't mind listening to her when she talked.

-§-

When Oliver later came to, he slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. Immediately, he recognized the walls of the Foundry, and for a mere moment, he wondered how he had gotten there. He felt sore and all he wanted was to just lay back down and fall asleep, but he couldn't, especially since he didn't even remember what had happened.

“Hey,” a small voice said, somewhere in the back of the lair. Oliver turned his head and was met by the sight of a slowly approaching Felicity.

Her hands were wrapped around herself as she moved toward him, looking at him worriedly. She came to stand next to him and he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was laying in her bed; the little cot that he had gotten her when she first began sleeping there.

“How are you feeling?” Felicity asked, her voice low. She raised her hand, resting it against his forehead, an action that seemed to have been almost automatic for her. Her eyes widened slightly and he realized that he must have given her a surprised look that made her realize what she was doing. When she began pulling her hand back though, Oliver reached up and caught her wrist, keeping her hand in place on his forehead. He groaned when pain surged through him from his side, most likely a broken rib or two, and then proceeded to close his eyes.

“Leave it there,” he muttered, trying not to think about how weak he sounded. “Your hand is cold. It feels nice.”

“You're really hot,” Felicity breathed out in a sigh and despite the pain, Oliver's lips quirked up of their own accord. “As in _warm_. Like, you might have a fever or something and I should probably check it since Diggle gave me strict instructions to do so.”

Oliver opened his eyes again and looked at her, happy to see the crimson coloring her cheeks, making the deadly hybrid look human.

“Where is Diggle?” Oliver frowned, mostly because his partner would have shown himself by now if he was actually in the lair.

“After he brought you back here and we patched you up, he had to go back to the warehouse,” Felicity replied. “You lost a lot of blood and he had to remove all traced of you ever being there in case the police came around. We wouldn't want them getting any of your DNA, now would we, Mr. Arrow.”

There was some teasing laced in her tone, but Oliver knew that she was being serious.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, “Mr. _Arrow_?”

The blush on Felicity's cheeks only deepened slightly, “Yeah. As I told you once or twice, I don't particularly find the nickname 'the Hood' flattering and 'Arrow' sounds a lot better in my ears. More like a hero.”

Oliver could only stare at her.

This hybrid, who he had started out by hating, who then had earned his trust in her own way, just like she had sworn that she would. The monster who somehow felt the need to protect his younger sister and who stood by him, even when he had said some awful things to her since they had first met.

And now she was calling him a hero.

“I'm not a hero,” he insisted, but Felicity only smiled at him, almost a little sadly.

“You will be,” she replied confidently. “I can almost bet on it.”

Their eyes met and Oliver suddenly had one of those urges again; the ones where he wanted to just pull her close and hold her, no matter what he thought about her kind.

“I should probably check that wound of yours,” Felicity said thoughtfully. Oliver's eyes lowered to where she was looking, at the bandage that went around his entire right shoulder.

“I can do it myself,” Oliver offered as he sat up, but he moved a little too quick and he couldn't keep in the wince and the small string of curses that escaped his lips at the pain.

“Uh, yeah, no,” Felicity shot him a glare, “John told me to look after you while he was gone, and I don't intend to let down Mr. Diggle.”

She moved away from him when she made sure that he could sit properly without falling over, his feet now resting on the floor as he sat on the end of her small bed. He wondered how he had even fit on it, but he didn't want to dwell on it too long as he watched Felicity move around the lair.

The blonde hybrid gathered the supplies that she would need to check his wound and re-dress the bandage, and then quickly walked back to him, pulling a chair with her. Sitting down in front of him, she slowly began unwrapping the bandage that was already tied around him.

“How long was I out?” Oliver wondered, trying not to think about how cool Felicity's fingers felt against his hot skin. “Has Diggle been gone for long?”

“He left just fifteen minutes ago,” Felicity replied. “He called and told me he would be a while since you and that other archer messed that warehouse up pretty bad. Somehow though, it seems like only your DNA can be found...”

“He was covered from head to toe,” Oliver explained. “Not really sure how he would have left a fingerprint or anything that could be used to identify him. Unless of course he dropped a stand of hair–”

“–which would be impossible to find without the right equipment,” Felicity finished, meeting his gaze. “Yeah, Diggle and I already concluded that. As to your first question, you've been passed out for three hours since Diggle brought you back here. At first we were worried that you might need to be taken to the hospital, but we decided that we could handle your injuries ourselves. I just hope we did a good job.”

“I feel okay,” Oliver lied and she shot him a skeptic look.

“You feel like hell, Oliver, so why don't you just admit that and stop trying to downplay your injuries,” Felicity said, shaking her head at him.

Silence rested between them as she worked on getting his bandage off, cleaning the wound that would most likely end up becoming yet another scar on his already marred body. Her touch was soft and more than once Oliver caught his own gaze linger on her face as she focused on the wound.

“You know,” Felicity said, startling him out of his thoughts, “when I was captive, I heard a lot of stories from the guards and the other captives, at least until they put me in confinement.”

She didn't even look at him as she spoke, reaching for some cotton and the antiseptic, gently dabbing it on his injury. Bandaging him up went a little faster and then she looked up at his face, frown once again appearing. “I should probably clean those too,” she muttered and he realized what he must look like. The other archer had gotten in a good punch to his face as well, so if he was planning on going home tonight, he should probably make himself a little more presentable even though his mother and sister wouldn't be dumb enough to miss his injuries.

He gave her his permission with a small nod and Felicity moved to get a small rag as she started cleaning her face.

“What kind of stories?” he asked her after a while, deciding that he could use the distraction from the stinging that ensued when she dabbed his cheek with the antiseptic.

“About the archer,” she mumbled, her eyes not moving from the small cut on his cheek. “There was one about the green archer who saved innocents, making it difficult for the vampire community to find their prey in the city.” Felicity's lips quirked up, “I always liked that one; how he seemed to stick it to them when they were asking for it.”

Oliver's own lips tugged up in a small smile and he recalled how she had referred to him as hero, just a few moments ago.

“There was always a hint of fear in their voices when they talked about him, _the Hood_ ,” she scrunched her nose up at the nickname, once again showing her distaste for it, “but once I turned into a hybrid, I could smell it on them even more clearly.” Oliver winced when Felicity dabbed the cut on his lip and she offered him an apologetic look. “There was another story though, and it took a little time for me to understand that it was a different one,” Felicity continued. “A different story than the first; a story of a Dark Archer, killing Dark Ones and humans with no remorse.”

Oliver caught Felicity's eyes as he realized what she was saying. “The other archer,” he concluded.

Felicity nodded, “They say that he hasn't been as active as the Hood, but they fear him equally. At least when it comes to you, they know that you're protecting the people of Starling City. This other man, whoever he is, is killing both humans and Dark Ones. What purpose does he have, what does he even want?”

Oliver watched her for a while and Felicity didn't remove her gaze from his. “Why didn't you tell me before?” he asked her. “If you suspected that this was the other archer that they talked about, why didn't you tell me?”

“To be honest, I forgot about it,” Felicity answered. He could tell that she was embarrassed by it and that she hated that she hadn't been of more help and deep down, Oliver might be a little annoyed, but he knew that if Felicity had known all along what kind of a man he was hunting, she would without a doubt have told him what she knew. “Some of my memories aren't that clear,” she explained. “I was in-and-out of consciousness for a long time after I turned and some of the things I heard are shambled up and blurry. I had a bad feeling about tonight, but I never would have expected that this copycat killer was the Dark Archer that the guards spoke about.”

Oliver didn't say anything, just watched her face, his eyes dropping to her lower lip when she caught it between her teeth. Inside of him, that feeling was stirring and it made him just want to shut down completely.

For a moment, he wanted to just put everything on pause; all his knowledge of the People of Darkness, all the worries he had about Felicity and all the things that had happened tonight when he hadn't listened to her and shut off his comm-link. All he wanted, was to reach for her, tangle his fingers in the loose blonde curls at the nape of her neck and pull her closer to him.

Whether it was a simple urge that had surfaced when his dreams about the hybrid began, or if it was a wish his heart kept secret until now, he didn't know, but the only thing he could see in that moment was Felicity.

He caught sight of his own hand moving toward her cheek, undoubtedly reaching to cup her face, and stopped himself, his brain once again setting in motion. Instead of touching her cheek like his fingers seemed to itch to do, he placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, forcing his eyes to meet her blue ones that seemed to be shining.

“What happened tonight wasn't your fault, Felicity,” he told her. “I was reckless, thinking I could handle it all by myself and I should have waited for Diggle as backup. I shouldn't have shut off the comm.”

“We could play the blame game all night, but it doesn't change the fact that you'll still need to come up with a pretty good cover story for that busted up lip of yours,” Felicity tried to joke lightly, as if she could sense that their conversation was heading into deeper territories. It was a good thing that he wasn't the only one who didn't want to get too close, Oliver figured, but a small part of him still wished that Felicity hadn't immediately tried to play it cool and joke about the situation.

Although, that didn't mean that he wasn't grateful for her change of topic.

“Crazy night in the club gone wrong?” he suggested, making the blonde chuckle.

“I think we've used that one too many times already,” she replied, a small smile playing on her lips.

“We'll make something up,” he smiled back at her, feeling that the conversation had gone traveled into a lighter place.

He still didn't want to think about all the things that had happened during that day; everything from the awkward lunch with Thea where he had expressed some feelings that he hadn't ever wanted his sister to witness, to the even more awkward training session with Felicity.

Although, the training session hadn't been awkward exactly, but it had been _charged_ and Oliver would never be able to fool himself into thinking that it hadn't been. There was something there, between him and Felicity, but he didn't want to know what it was. Everyone around him seemed to think that it was some kind of crush, but Oliver found it ridiculous that a grown man like himself would have such a thing on another human being.

But Felicity wasn't human, he reminded himself; she was a hybrid.

That, however, didn't make him want to call this thing between them a crush any more. _Whatever_ it was– a connection, an unexplainable attraction– he didn't want to acknowledge it, even though he deep down knew that a part of it already had.

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered, her eyes lowering to the floor between them. “There is way for you to not have to come up with _any_ kind of story.”

Her words brought him back to reality, where he was still looking intently at her, his hand resting on her shoulder. He could tell that she was hesitating and he wondered what it was that was making her twitch so nervously suddenly.

“What?” he asked, wanting her to voice whatever it was that she was thinking about.

“My blood could heal you,” she explained, her voice still low and she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was playing with the cotton in her hands that she had used to clean his cuts. “Hybrid blood would make all your wounds heal and you wouldn't be in pain anymore.”

“ _No_ ,” Oliver said, perhaps a little too quickly because Felicity looked up at him, meeting his eyes with a hurt expression on her face. She looked at if he had just told her that her suggestion was the most disgusting thing he had ever heard; like she had just rejected _her_ , as a person and not only her blood. “No,” he repeated, this time a little calmer, squeezing her shoulder again. “Thank you for the offer, Felicity, but I really wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that there was hybrid blood in my system. With the things I have to do every day, the risk of turning would be too great. You know that I would turn if I died.”

“I know,” Felicity bit her lip. “I was just hoping that we would be optimistic enough to believe that you would survive those twenty-four hours it would take for my blood to pass through your system.” Oliver's lips tugged up again when he saw her visibly relax. “Also, there are other ways to turn,” she said, almost absentmindedly.

Oliver thought about all the things he had learned during his years away and during the time that he had been back in Starling City. He knew the things that his mentors had told him about the People of Darkness, and he had witnessed a couple of turns himself, but he knew she was right. There were too many monsters in the world and every last one of them had a different way to turn.

Just turning someone into a hybrid could be done at least three different ways that he knew of and once again, Oliver found himself wondering how Felicity had been turned. What had she been before she was turned? How had she grown up?

_Who was she?_

“Felicity,” he breathed out her name without actually meaning to. Her eyes focused on him again and he swallowed the questions that he wanted to ask; perhaps another time. “Thank you for being here tonight, for helping.”

His gratitude seemed to surprise her but another smile appeared on her face as that little blush appeared again, making Oliver's insides melt without his permission.

“Any time, Oliver,” she replied as she packed up the medical kit again, raising from the chair so that she could put it back in place. “You should lay down and rest until Diggle comes back. He'll help you get home safely.”

He wanted to protest, knowing that it was her bed that he was laying in, but he could feel his exhaustion coursing through him again, clouding his mind. “Okay,” he nodded, groaning a little as he began laying down again.

Felicity was by his side instantly, having used her hybrid speed to reach him faster. Her hand was on his shoulder as she helped him ease down on the mattress and it remained there, even after he was situated.

Yet again, their eyes collided and time seemed to stand still for a moment before she spoke again.

“I'm glad you're okay, Oliver,” she finally said, gently squeezing his shoulder before walking away to keep cleaning.

Oliver stared after her for a while before looking up at the ceiling, quietly wondering if he gave her the same comfort when he squeezed her shoulder, as she had just given him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mhmm, that's right, Malcolm Merlyn has made an appearance now and he even crossed paths with our dear hybrid! And the Dark Archer is in the picture, but as you can all probably guess, we won't be seeing more of him until later on in the first part of this story...
> 
> So, what did you like the most about this chapter? Did you catch anything that might be foreshadowing? If you did, good for you, because there was A LOT of it in this chapter! ;) Don't forget to tell me what you liked in a comment! :)
> 
> Oh, and I just want to add that there might not be an update next week, because I'm going to try to write a couple of chapters before I start posting again. But of course, it all depends on how much schoolwork I have and if I get any reviews for this chapter! *wink wink*
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I love you guys! :)


	11. The Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver isn't ready to give up the search for the Dark Archer and Felicity reveals the location of an underground casino, led by a dangerous hybrid that was created from a blood wolf line. Felicity's interference in the mission causes her an Oliver to fall out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! :) Thank you for being so incredibly patient with me when it comes to this story! I know I haven't updated for a while, but you know how it is with school and all that... Still, those of you who follow me on tumblr know that I announced that I would be updating on Christmas Eve, so here we are! ;)
> 
> Now, this chapter is on the long side, so I hope it makes up for the time that has passed since my last update. I can't promise regular updates, but I have to tell you that the next chapter (which I've already started) is probably going to be a little shorter than this one, but it'll be VERY Olicity-centric, so I hope that makes up for it! ^^ Either way, I really hope you enjoy this one and I'll be taking my free days before New Years to write as much as possible! School starts again in January, but until then I'll hopefully be free enough to write, write, write! ;)
> 
> Thank you for your lovely comments so far and for all the support! :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **1** **1: The Fallout**

* * *

 

 

_The sweat was beading on his forehead as he stared at the masked man in front of him. He was almost impossible to spot in the darkness, but after his eyes adjusted, Oliver could see the outline of the Dark Archer perfectly._

_Oliver reached for his arrows in his quiver, but his hand met air. He looked down at his hands and found that he was no longer wearing his leather suit and his bow was nowhere to be seen either. The Dark Archer chuckled, his voice heavily disoriented by the voice modulator he was wearing, but somehow, it made the whole situation even more eerie._

" _I guess now we can finally see who is the best," the other archer said._

" _This is hardly a fair fight," Oliver retorted, knowing he was going to lose this fight, no matter what he tried to do._

_Without replying, the other archer raised his bow, aiming at Oliver's chest. There wasn't much Oliver could see, but he did see the wicked gleam of the Dark Archer's eyes, right before he released the arrow._

_It cut through the chill air and Oliver closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable impact, but it never came. Instead, he heard a loud thump, as if something had dropped to the floor and when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the most horrifying sight he had ever seen._

_Felicity was laying by his feet, eyes open wide, unseeing. Her mouth was hanging open and a small drop of blood fell from the corner of the hybrid's mouth. Oliver dropped to his knees, looking over her dead body, seeing the arrow that had been embedded into her heart, causing blood to ooze from the wound._

" _Felicity, no!" Oliver cried, touching her blonde curls gently, but even those were turning red. "What have you done?" he mumbled, more to himself as tears began to flow freely from his eyes. "What have you done!" he screamed, looking up at the other archer, who was still standing on the other side of the room._

" _You did this to her," the man said. "She gave her life to save yours."_

_Oliver frantically shook his head while clasping Felicity's shoulders. "Felicity, you need to wake up. Wake up, Felicity! Wake up!"_

_He never wanted this; he never wanted her to die. Not for him, not for anyone._

" _Please," he pleaded, dropping his forehead against her now cold one. The other archer was long gone by now, but Oliver couldn't bring himself to step away from the blonde's body. Without even realizing what he was doing, he pressed his lips lightly against her forehead, then her cheekbones. He closed her eyes, making it look like she was asleep and proceeded to kiss her eyelids, her nose, the corner of her mouth and finally, as he leaned down to her cold lips, he whispered in vain again, "Wake up."_

-§-

"Oliver? Are you feeling okay?" Felicity whispered to him, shifting nervously on her seat. Oliver rubbed his fingers together before laying his hands flat on his thighs, wiping them on his pants as he tried to once again catch up on what Mr. Williams from the Public Relations Department was telling them.

"Mhm," Oliver hummed, forcing a smile while not daring to look over at Felicity who he knew was watching him worriedly.

He couldn't exactly blame her for being concerned for his well being considering that he had been dozing off for the better part of this meeting. It annoyed him a little that she seemed to care so much and he hated the fact that she seemed to be able to look right through him and sense that something was off.

The truth was that Oliver had been having that same dream for almost every night since he had first encountered the Dark Archer, and that had been about a week ago. He didn't enjoy the fact that Felicity was a constant appearance in his dreams, but he also didn't like the fact that he got the most horrible feeling in his gut after he woke up because of dreaming about her death.

It was strange to feel like you both accepted a person while at the same time hating what the person was deep down. It was both confusing and exhausting and he still didn't know how to feel about her, especially considering how he acted around her nowadays.

Nevertheless, their problem with the Dark Archer had gotten even more problematic after the night that Oliver had fought him; mostly because the archer seemed to have disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Oliver had been forced to go back to Detective Lance as the Hood and explain that he had had no luck in finding the assailant and well, it may or may not have led to the detective attempting to arrest him yet again.

Still, during the week that passed, Oliver, Felicity and Diggle had had no luck in tracking the other archer. They had discussed the issue last night in the lair and both Diggle and Felicity has shared that they didn't see a point in looking for a ghost. However, they wanted to keep taking down the big shot Nightcrawlers that were listed in Oliver's notebook in the meantime, hoping to be able to pressure some of them on information regarding the Undertaking. Oliver expressed his opinion on the matter by telling them that he thought that the Dark Archer somehow played a part in the threat, even though he wasn't sure how yet. He knew that the archer had taken out Christine Alpert a mere second before she had told the hunter something about the Undertaking and in Oliver's mind, that was suspicious. It wasn't clear what the lamia vampire had intended to tell him, but Felicity had insisted that there should be more Dark Ones in the city with her knowledge and that they should move on to trying to find them. In the end, Oliver had reluctantly agreed to letting go of the hunt for the Dark Archer.

Now, he was stuck in a meeting, and he knew that there was a reason to Felicity's squirming next to him. He had shot his mother a pointed look when he had noticed her staring Felicity down when his Executive Assistant had taken her seat next to him but despite that, his mother had continuously been sending Felicity looks during the meeting and it was clearly making the hybrid nervous.

Oliver could feel Felicity's leg moving, brushing against his own once in a while as she nervously tapped her foot against the floor, looking anywhere other than Moira, who was now making giving her response on Mr. Williams' suggestions on how to improve Queen Consolidated's image. The hybrid was taking notes, but every once in a while when Oliver looked down at her notebook, he noticed that she scribbled Hood-related reminders in the back, always using code words that he was sure only he would understand.

When her knee brushed against his again, he reacted and put his hand on it to stop her from moving. Naturally, he hadn't taken into consideration the rather short skirt that the blonde had decided to wear that day and he most certainly hadn't thought about how warm her skin would feel under his hand. Felicity's breath hitched; the sound so incredibly low that he was sure that he was the only one who had heard her.

 _Move your hand_ , his brain tried to tell him, but it didn't seem like his body understood the command. Finally, his thumb moved across her knee and Oliver glanced sideways, only to see a light blush appearing on Felicity's face.

 _Not like that, idiot,_  he cursed himself, moving his hand away from Felicity as quickly as he could, hoping she would never bring the occurrence up.

The meeting ended half an hour later and Oliver stood up from his seat, pulling out Felicity's chair for her automatically. She met his eyes with a questioning gaze, but didn't say anything and yet gain he found himself thankful for the fact that she was a genius who understood when to not ask questions.

"I'll transcribe my notes and send the file to you before we head home tonight, Mr. Queen," Felicity told him, acting out her role as the professional assistant. " _Separately_ , that is. Heading home separately," she added quickly and Oliver could do nothing other than stare at her.

 _So much for being professional_.

"Mr. Queen!" Andrew Michelson, one of the board members exclaimed, walking over to where he and Felicity were standing. "And the beautiful Ms. Smoak," the older man added, giving Felicity a shameless once over that would honestly make a sailor blush.

Oliver turned to the man who had divorced his wife and had numerous affairs with young blondes and raised an eyebrow at him, trying not to, but judging him with every fiber of his being. "Can I help you with something, Mr. Michelson?"

The older man tore his eyes from Felicity, who politely smiled at him and turned to Oliver," I was  _very_ impressed with how quickly Ms. Smoak here scribbled down her notes. I honestly couldn't tear my eyes away from her and I promised myself that I would ask you where you managed to find such a  _beauty,_ in case you have their number so I can find one of my own."

The entire comment was degrading and Oliver wondered why his mother kept people like Mr. Michelson around the company. Next chance he got, Oliver would make sure to buy the man out of the company, if only to get rid of him.

"I assure you, Mr. Michelson," Oliver glared. "I hired Felicity for her technical expertise,  _not_  for her good looks." Oliver caught his mother looking up with interest, having overheard the comment but he continued still. "I suggest you stop bringing up such foolish notions unless you want to become the subject of some serious accusations of workplace discrimination for hiring people who are esthetically pleasing to look at."

The man stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before nodding curtly and excusing himself, walking out of the room. Shooting one last look toward his mother, Oliver watched her give him short nod herself, her face covered in approval, which surprised him a little.

He turned to Felicity, who was yet again watching him curiously.

"Shall we?" he suggested, motioning for her to move ahead in front of him. The young blonde began walking, and he followed her without looking back.

"There you went again," Felicity said as they reached their joined offices. "Defending my honor and all that. I've told you several times over that I can take care of myself."

"I wasn't taking care of you," Oliver told her as she rounded her desk and sat down in her chair, putting her notebook on the table. "I was merely making a point to show everyone that I didn't hire you for your good looks."

"I only got one thing out of that," Felicity told him, "and that is that you think I'm pretty."

She was teasing him and he knew it and she knew that he knew it because he almost groaned at her. "Well, Ms. Smoak, I'm sure you've had your own fair share of ogling me when I work out," he decided to tease back, putting both of his hands on her desk as he leaned forward a little, "and you're not exactly subtle either."

She seemed to slip into a dream state for a second and Oliver was a hundred percent sure that she had just imagined him using the salmon ladder, which she nowadays didn't even bother to be subtle about being her favorite part of his daily routine. She simply turned in her chair and outright stared at him whenever he was doing it, and if Oliver was to be honest with himself (and he would never admit it to anyone else) he kind of liked that he could at least have  _that_ on her, since she plagued his dreams nightly with a bunch of inappropriate situations.

"Ha ha," Felicity sarcastically said once she snapped out of her thoughts. There was an amused look on her face though and behind her glasses, Oliver saw her eyes flash for a second with that mischievous yellow glow. "Don't worry, Oliver. We both know the  _real_  reason that you hired me for." She leaned forward a little in her chair and his body seemed to have its own will, moving closer to her too a his tongue darted out to wet his lips.

He noticed the way the motion drew her attention to his mouth, before she peered up at him from under her glasses, which only made her look even more like the definition of trouble.

"Oh, and what is that?" he played along, raising an eyebrow at her.

Felicity smirked as her eyes turned yellow, black veins appearing around her eyes for less than a second before turning back to her normal blue, "To keep an eye on me, of course, since you were afraid I would start ripping people apart."

The brutality of her truthful response took him aback and he searched her face for a hint of bitterness, but found none.

"True," he admitted, standing up straight again. He figured that whatever moment they had been having was over, but as he met her eyes, he noticed that it was far from done. Somehow, the combination of the look of acceptance that covered Felicity's face and her eyes shining with something that told him that she wasn't the least offended, made this moment even more charged. There was something passing between them that Oliver didn't understand and as he finally turned his gaze away from her and walked back to his office, he wondered, if he really needed to.

-§-

Oliver was weighting his options back and forth while he slammed the dummy down in the Foundry a couple of times. Ever since the night that he had confronted the Dark Archer, the man hadn't left his mind at all. He wanted to do whatever it took to find him and pressure him into telling him what Christine Alpert had never gotten to speak before she had been killed.

Things were different now though– different than how they had been two years ago when he got to decide all by himself what he would or would not do.

The crusade he had started on had been his own and he hadn't ever needed to discuss anything with anyone. The first few months that he had been the vigilante, he had decided for himself and simply been taking down the people on his father's list, no questions asked. After Diggle joined him, he had to adjust a bit because the man had pointed out pretty early that they were supposed to be partners in their fight against the Dark Ones, which meant that none of them should be superior to the other. Still, at times Oliver continued to make reckless decisions that later came back and bit him in the ass when Diggle had to intervene because he had miscalculated the dangers of going into a building crawling with Dark Ones. Sometimes his choice of going in alone worked out well though and he always got smug with Diggle, which usually ended with a rougher than usual sparring session.

Now, he had two people who were working with him and both of them believed that it was better to let go of the search for the Dark Archer. Oliver wanted nothing more than to go out alone and handle it like he normally would have when he had been alone, but he knew that he couldn't. He respected Diggle too much to do that, especially after working together for two years and Felicity... Well, he didn't feel like doing anything that might betray her trust.

He could feel her eyes trained on him as he slammed the dummy over and over again. The two of them had worked out together a few more times since that first one, but it always seemed to end the same way and the tension between them always sky-rocketed afterward so he had declined her offer tonight. In his mind, he told himself that it was the logical decision because of what had transpired between the two of them in the office earlier that day. He hardly needed to have her hot and sweaty body pressed up against his after the way he had barely been able to keep his hands to himself during the meeting.

Oliver knew that Felicity was worried about him, which only made it more difficult for him to remind himself of the fact that she was still a hybrid. No matter how nice she seemed and how much he trusted her, that would always be hanging somewhere in the back of his mind, forcing him to distance himself and his emotions from her.

"I can't do it," he finally said, breathing heavily as he put his hands on the dummy, taking a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. He looked over at Felicity and Diggle. The blonde hybrid was sitting in her chair, playing nervously with her fingers while Diggle stood by her side, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against Felicity's desk. "I'm not ready to let go of the search for the other archer," Oliver clarified, turning toward them.

Diggle nodded curtly, acknowledging that Oliver had finally made up his mind and let them in on what he had been thinking about all day and Felicity's lips turned up in a small, almost encouraging, smile.

"I figured as much," she told him, looking over at Diggle. It was clear that the two of them had talked it over while Oliver had been too deeply concentrated on putting dents into the dummy while he worked out his anger and confusion.

"We'll have to put it on out to-do-list," Diggle said humorlessly. "But we're with you, Oliver. If this is what you think is best, we'll support you."

"Thank you," Oliver nodded curtly. "I want us to keep looking for clues. There must be some way to find out more about the Dark Archer." He looked over at Felicity, who bit her lip. For a brief moment a look of something flashed across her face and she looked a little dazed. He wondered what she was thinking about, but never asked her about it, knowing that the hybrid would come to him if it was something important.

-§-

"Congratulations, you two," Oliver smiled at Laurel and Tommy. He embraced Laurel first, who hugged him back tightly and then went to clap Tommy on the back before he sat down next to his best friend. Thea took a moment to hug Laurel a little extra tightly before sitting down next to her.

"I can't believe Tommy finally built up the courage to ask you," she grinned.

"Hey! I would have done it sooner if I hadn't been planning  _your_ amazing birthday party," Tommy defended himself.

"I suppose they are right when they say that men can't multitask," Laurel quipped, earning a laugh from the younger Queen sibling. Oliver grinned at his sister, happy to see her smiling, while Laurel shot her fiance an endearing look. She reached over and covered his hand with her own, "I'm just glad you asked, Tommy. I would have waited however long it took."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure that patience is your strong suit, Ms. Lance," Tommy grinned. "I'm lucky you said yes after I made you wait for so many years though."

"Aw, aren't you two cute," Thea cooed, grinning at them. "Don't you think they're cute, Ollie?"

Oliver smirked at his best friend, "Very much so."

Tommy shot him a look and elbowed him, "Stop that or I'll have to start giving you a hard time at the club."

"Speaking of Verdant, I don't think I ever thanked you for taking the reigns there," Oliver said. "Better late than never, right? So thank you."

"Don't worry about it, man," Tommy shrugged. "I love working there and it's going really well."  
"Yeah, no thanks to me," Oliver muttered.

"You contribute just fine," Tommy told him. "You show up from time to time and mingle with the guests, something that I no longer have time to do. It helps a lot and a lot of people come there in hopes of taking a picture with you. You're still famous, you know?"

"And I hardly think that Tommy's lovely fiancee would allow him to mingle with the people partying," Thea teased, easily joining their conversation.

"Tommy's fiancee doesn't mind," Laurel interjected. "She knows that he'll always be faithful and he knows what will happen to him if he isn't."

The four of them laughed but Oliver could tell that Tommy looked a little nervous. It was no secret that Laurel Lance knew how to take care of herself, and if she ever failed at that, her father would always be there to fill in. If Tommy ever hurt Laurel, which Oliver was a thousand percent sure that his best friend would never to, it would most likely end badly for him if Detective Lance had a say in it.

"Speaking of the club," Thea drawled. "A friend of mine is looking for a job and it would be really nice if you could hook him up with something, Tommy."

"Oh?" Tommy quirked an eyebrow. "What can he do?"

"Roy's good at a lot of things, so he can probably do anything from clean to wait tables," Thea said.

"Wait, did you just say  _Roy?_  As in Roy Harper, the kid who stole your bag?" Laurel asked, a grin forming on her face.

"He  _stole_ your bag?" Oliver frowned, shooting a glare at his sister who just brushed him off.

"Save me the lecture," she said. "Felicity has already expressed her opinion on me suffering from the Stockholm Syndrome."

"For once, I agree with Felicity," Oliver told her. "You sure this kid is good for you?"

"Please, Oliver, if anything, you always agree with Felicity," Thea joked, "and yes, I do believe that Roy is a good guy who was just going through something. Besides, he gave me back the purse and only took a pack of cigarettes from me."

" _Cigarettes_?"

Thea realized her mishap and offered her older brother a sheepish grin, "He got me to quit smoking, so how bad can he be, right? Besides, we are  _just_ friends."

"Is this 'just friend' of yours going to be your plus one to the wedding, Thea?" Oliver inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Hope so," Thea said, clearly not the least ashamed of admitting that she might like the boy a lot more than she had previously let on. "Speaking of plus ones..." she trailed off, grinning at Oliver again. "Who are you bringing, Oliver?"

Oliver's mouth shut and his lips pressed together into a thin line, already knowing where his sister was going with the conversation. "Isn't it a little too soon to decide that?" he asked her and he hated his brain for filling with images of Felicity walking by his side the entire evening, her hand resting on his arm as they danced.

"I'm just thinking that a certain blonde would look very good all dressed up," Thea pointed out. "But maybe she'll have to wait for years like Laurel waited for Tommy."

"Thea, I am begging you to let these thoughts go," Oliver groaned. "If you really think Felicity's is so amazing, why don't you date her yourself?"

"I've always seen her as a future sister-in-law," Thea deadpanned, making Oliver's cheeks heat up against his will.

Tommy clapped his shoulder lightly, "Not fun being the one to receive the teasing treatment, is it?"

Oliver didn't say anything. Instead he shot his sister a glare and changed the subject back to the wedding itself, trying desperately not to think about Felicity in a wedding gown, her infectious smile on her face as she walked toward him.

-§-

"How did breakfast go with Thea, Tommy and Laurel?" Diggle asked after picking him up.

"Good, I suppose," Oliver shrugged.

"It's good that you're starting to hang out with them more again," Diggle told him. "With the life that you lead, it's good for you to have something normal in there too."

"Yeah, well, it might be even better if my sister would stop implying that I have a thing for Felicity," Oliver bit out.

"Oh, she did that?" Diggle raised an eyebrow.

"Mhm..."

" _Is_ there something going on between the two of you?" Diggle asked, earning himself a look from Oliver. "Hey, I think I would have the right to know whether there's a risk of me walking in on the two of you–"

"There's  _nothing_  going on, Dig," Oliver sternly said. "No need to worry about walking in on  _anything_."

"So what's the problem then? You can just brush Thea off and she'll leave you alone about it," he said. "Unless of course there  _is_  something going on but even you don't know what it is."

Oliver glared at his partner, almost hating the way that the older man had gotten to know him so well these last two years. He didn't need someone to tell him that he  _clearly_ had  _something_ going on inside of him when it came to Felicity. In fact, Oliver knew that he would be foolish to try and convince Diggle that nothing was off with him when it came to the blonde. Diggle was way too observant to miss that Oliver's behavior had changed when it came to the hybrid.

"I trust her," Oliver admitted slowly, contemplating whether or not he should continue.

"I know that," Diggle grinned. "I trust her too. She's proven herself time and time and again and to be honest, I don't think there's a mean bone in that girl's body."

Oliver thought back on the night of Thea's birthday party and the way that Felicity had looked absolutely horrified at the fact that she had wanted to rip the men who had attacked Thea to pieces. Even if they were monsters, the blonde obviously didn't want to become like them and she had told both Oliver and Diggle multiple times that she would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose.

"It's just that–" Oliver cut himself off and stared at the road ahead of them. He hadn't needed to go to the office today which was why he had gone to breakfast with Thea, Tommy and Laurel. Since he had a day off he had told Felicity and Diggle that they could spend the day in the lair to prepare a hunt for tonight. He needed new targets that may know the whereabouts of the Dark Archer and he wanted to be well prepared before going after them.

"Just that what?" Diggle asked.

"Sometimes I get these weird thoughts in my mind," he finally said.

"Weird thoughts about...?"

"Felicity."

Diggle groaned, "Ah, man. I  _definitely_ did  _not_ need to know that."

Oliver would have laughed at Diggle's face if the situation hadn't been so serious. He had just admitted that he thought about Felicity sometimes, not going in on details, but it didn't change the fact that Diggle now knew that the blonde sometimes consumed his mind.

"It's not what you think," Oliver quickly said.

"Doesn't matter," Diggle said. "Not any of my business as long as it doesn't affect the way you two work together."

"Still, Dig, it's  _not_ what you think," Oliver argued. "I just mean that I never expected that one of  _them_  would become a part of my team. I never thought that I would actually accept having one of them on my side, but accepting Felicity has been... _easy_. Almost too easy."

"And it has you worried?" Diggle concluded. "You're worried that you're going soft?"

"Should I not?" Oliver asked, that weird feeling in his gut again whenever he thought about being stabbed in the back.

"I think it's a sign that you still believe in the goodness of people," Diggle said. "That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"But Felicity isn't just 'people', is she?" Oliver quietly said. "She's a hybrid. What does it say about me if I simply abandoned all my hatred for those monsters, just because she turned out to be a good one?"

"I don't think you do anything simply, Oliver," Diggle sighed. "It took you time to accept Felicity and you certainly didn't trust her as fast as I did. You shouldn't doubt whatever it is that made you trust her. I think that Felicity is loyal to us and more importantly our mission. She doesn't want innocents to suffer and that makes her good."

"So you think that I'm worried for nothing?"

"I think that even you don't know what to think anymore," Diggle said. "I think you should let things fall where they may, but don't start doubting yourself just because you decided to accept Felicity. Choosing to trust her was  _not_ a mistake."

Oliver allowed himself to think about what Diggle had said. He knew that he trusted Felicity and he was aware of the fact that he was letting her in slowly. That honestly wasn't his problem though.

The main problem for Oliver was that he didn't know why his heart would beat extra hard whenever the blonde hybrid was close to him, or why he found his touches lingering on her a little longer than necessary. He didn't know why or when he had begun looking forward to seeing her again and it made him feel so many things that he didn't even know where to begin sorting them, which made him even more uneasy than anything else.

-§-

Felicity nervously tapped on her desk as Oliver and Diggle listed all the places in Starling City where they knew the People of Darkness resided. They had been going over Oliver's list for the past couple of hours, trying to decide which Dark One to target in order to find out more information on the Dark Archer.

"We can't go after Bertinelli again," Oliver said. "Especially not since Christine Alpert is dead."

"Yeah," Diggle agreed. "If Felicity is right and Christine actually was his mate, or whatever, we would not want to run into the Black Rose with ours nocked and guns loaded."

"So where does that leave us?" Oliver frowned, looking over at Felicity.

She bit the inside of her cheek and fiddled with a pen on her desk, looking away from him for a moment or two.

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice was calm but Felicity could hear some worry etched in there, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

If there was one thing Felicity knew for sure, it was that her hybrid senses had never failed when it came to recognize people's emotions. Sure, she hadn't been a hybrid for very long, but the ability was there for even the simplest of werewolves too, which meant that she had had it since she had been born.

Her only problem was that Oliver was fairly good at confusing her by mixing a lot of emotions together, but she didn't know whether it was conscious or if he was just generally confused about what he was feeling himself.

So when he spoke to her like  _that_ , she couldn't help the bubbly feeling that rose inside of her. She had always been aware of how attractive he was and yes, she had had her fair share of inappropriate dreams about him. Sometimes she even flirted a little shamelessly, like earlier that day in the office, but she knew that she would never cross any lines with him and it wasn't just because she knew how much he would loathe himself for it...

But the feeling, in her gut... It wasn't just attraction, and when she had realized that a couple of nights ago, it had scared her enormously.

She wouldn't go as far as to say that she was in love with him, although she would admit to herself that it wasn't just a simple crush either. That night when he had returned injured after fighting the Dark Archer had been horrible for her and she hadn't been able to sleep at all after he had left, mainly because she could still smell him in her bed and sense the remnants of his blood in the air.

All night she had stayed up thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong and the few hours she had managed to close her eyes had been plagued by nightmares of past events as well as seeing Oliver bloody and unconscious on the cold floor of the lair.

It scared her; the things she was feeling. Naturally, that made her push them all down and file them away to look at at another time; preferably when everything with the Undertaking was over.

"Felicity?" Oliver repeated and finally she looked up and met his eyes. Her hand froze mid tap and she felt her breath catch in her throat. "Are you okay?" Oliver continued, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Felicity balled her hand into a fist and let it rest on the table for a while before spinning around in her chair as she began typing on the keyboard. She could feel Oliver's eyes boring into her back and she heard Diggle move closer to her as well. With a few taps, she had a picture up on one of the screens along with a location on a map.

"There's an underground casino here in Starling City that is run by a hybrid that isn't on your list," she informed Oliver, her nerves getting the better of her once again when she couldn't meet his eyes. She cleared her throat and continued, "His name is Dominic Alonzo. I think he might be a good shot at trying to get more information on the Dark Archer. He's sort of like Bertinelli, I guess, so he knows a lot about what's going in in the city."

She glanced up at Oliver and Diggle to try and read their reactions, but Oliver's face remained neutral. Diggle seemed pleasantly surprised at the information though and at first Felicity had almost dared to hope that Oliver would let it slide that she hadn't told them anything about it earlier.

But that wasn't the case.

"You knew about this Alonzo and you never told us about him?" Oliver wanted to know. "Why would you protect him from us?"

"I wasn't trying to protect him, I just made the call that he was too dangerous to deal with when you were still injured from your last fight with the other archer," Felicity defended herself. "I've crossed paths with Alonzo once before, at the Black Rose, and I promise you, he is  _not_ a hybrid you want to deal with."

She could still recall the way the monster had roamed through the nightclub, preying out in the open on humans who hadn't known better when they had walked in there. It had almost become a bloodbath before Bertinelli personally stepped in with his guards and threw the hybrid out. Alonzo hadn't liked that very much and had instead started the casino where he lured humans indebted to him to come to and once they lost their final dime, Dominic and his men would drain them of blood before dumping them in the river.

"You should have told me," Oliver said, still as stubborn as ever.

"Alonzo is a hybrid made from a blood wolf line," Felicity said. "Those are the most bloodthirsty monsters that exist, as far as I know. Last time I checked, you weren't exactly well enough to be able to handle him alone, much less considering how many blood wolves he keeps around himself. They are  _savages,_ Oliver."

She knew that Oliver could tell that she was right, but she could also see how much it annoyed him that she was.

"Felicity made the right call," Diggle finally said. "You can't go in there alone. This isn't a hunt you can complete by yourself, Oliver."

"What do you suggest?" Oliver asked through clenched teeth, still shooting arrows at Felicity with his eyes. She knew she was right though and she silently thanked Diggle for agreeing with her. As she looked over at the older man, she could see a plan forming in his mind and she immediately knew that one way or another, Dominic Alonzo would be visited by the Hunter tonight.

-§-

"I don't like this," Oliver said as he pulled his hood over his head. He looked over at Felicity who was hooking up her tablet to one of the laptops they kept in the van while Diggle loaded his weapons.

"We're here as backup," Felicity reasoned. "That doesn't mean that we'll have to go in... But we probably will considering who it is that you're going to hunt."

"Still don't like it," Oliver growled as a response.

"You've got the special arrows I made you, right?" Felicity asked, her tone showing how worried she was about this. Oliver was still mad that she hadn't outright told him about this casino sooner, but he couldn't think about that because then he would get distracted, which would most likely get him killed.

"The ones with the hooks that can cut through skin? Yeah, I got them," Oliver mumbled, memorizing on which side he had put them in his quiver. "Aiming straight for the heart will do it, right?"

Felicity nodded, "They should cut right through and take the heart with them on their way out. Safest way to kill a hybrid is to remove their heart or their head and the heart is just less messier... Wow, that sounded horrible out loud." Oliver watched as Felicity's face paled, but he knew that she understood the gravity of the situation.

If Alonzo really was a hybrid made out of a blood wolf' line, he was a danger to all of Starling City. Oliver would try his best to get information out of him, but if he failed and there really was nothing to learn, then Oliver would need to dispose of him in order to keep the innocent people of Starling safe. Felicity might not like killing in general, but Oliver knew that she understood this, otherwise she never would have made him the special arrows in the first place. The specialized weapons had been made for killing hybrids and Oliver hoped that they would work.

"We'll stay in the van and keep in contact over the comm-links," Diggle said, pushing the little devise into his ear. "If anything starts going wrong, you just call out and I'll head in."

"And you stay in here and monitor," Oliver instructed Felicity. "I don't want you to be recognized by any of the Dark Ones inside. Is that understood?"

Felicity only nodded curtly and turned back to the tablet. "There are quite a few of them inside," she explained, "but you should be able to get through them if you release one of the wolf-mist containers that I made you. It should weaken them to the point of fainting due to the new, higher concentration of both wolfsbane and vervain."

"You just have to take out the two guards in the front and then you can head inside," Diggle said. "Alonzo's office should be somewhere in the back when you reach the end of the first hallway."

Oliver nodded, giving Diggle a last look before glancing at Felicity, who was intently staring at the screen in front of her. She was biting her lip and Oliver could tell that she was nervous. The hybrid clearly didn't like him going in alone and he recognized the fact that she was concerned for him. He wanted to tell her that he would be fine and encourage her to just trust him on this, but he knew that he had expressed enough of his own distaste for the plan, so she would probably never believe him if he told her it would be okay in the end.

He had to do this.

He needed answers and right in that moment, Dominic Alonzo was his best shot at getting them. If it turned out to be a dead end, he would still have managed to kill one of the Dark Ones and in Oliver's book, that would always be considered a win.

Felicity raised her head and met his gaze, her blue eyes shining inside the van, even if there was a lack of lights. There seemed to be a hundred questions in them and Oliver had to swallow hard and take a step back from her so that he wouldn't step forward and do something stupid like embrace her.

What was he even thinking with? He would be coming back. Going into that casino didn't mean that he would be coming out dead.

"I'm going," Oliver said, sending one last look Diggle's way before he stepped out in the cold night air.

-§-

Oliver took out the two guards in front of the entrance to the underground casino. Felicity disabled the security cameras and made sure that they were down so that the same thing that had happened at the Black Rose a few months back when he had been looking for Felicity, wouldn't happen again.

" _Okay, now all you have to do is release the wolf-mist grenade and then you're good to go,_ " Felicity instructed in his ear.

"Mhm..." Oliver hummed, stepping through the doors. His bow was already up, in case any other Dark Ones had heard him, but that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, there was soft music playing in the room, people were laughing and having a good time, it seemed.

Then he looked a little more closely, only to see a man, most likely a lamia vampire, compelling a woman while he slit her wrists and filled a whiskey glass with her blood. Next, he took a bite out of his own wrist and gave it to the woman, and Oliver could only watch as her wounds healed and the blood stopped flowing.

Oliver reached into his jacket and took out two of the wolf-mist grenades that Felicity had built and rolled them out on the floor. It didn't take more than five seconds for the highly concentrated gas to be released and the next couple of seconds, the humans that had been inside of the room fled in panic while the supernatural beings crumbled to the floor.

" _Should we worry about those humans that are getting out of there?_ " Felicity wondered. " _I mean, what if they call the police or something and get even more people dragged into all of this?_ "

"Don't think so," Oliver muttered. "People who see Nightcrawlers usually keep it to themselves. They don't want to sound crazy, I guess."

" _Yeah, besides, the SCPD is kind of corrupted as it is,_ " Diggle added. " _There are a lot of dirty cops who are willing to do anything to cover up the fact that the People of Darkness exist._ "

" _Okay, okay. I get it. No need to worry about the humans,_ " Felicity sighed. " _Are you going in, Oliver? I mean,_ Arrow _. Code names and all that, right?_ "

Oliver's lips twitched, "Yeah, I'm going in."

He was able to get into the casino without any problems. The Dark Ones that were laying on the floor would be unconscious for approximately an hour, if Felicity's calculations were correct– which they usually were. Either way it would give him plenty of time to confront Alonzo, but Oliver knew that he needed to be careful.

He had dealt with blood wolves on Lian Yu before and in Russia, he had crossed paths with them quite a lot too. It was just like Felicity had said back in the Foundry: they were savages. Pack wolves, or family wolves as they were sometimes called were a lot calmer than blood wolves. The blood wolves hunted people for the fun of it, even though they didn't need them to survive. Werewolves in general could live like any normal human beings, except for the fact that they turned into a wolf every full moon. They had temper tantrums sometimes too and blood wolves were in general more aggressive than any other kind of werewolf.

Oliver didn't want to imagine what it would be like to fight Dominic; a blood wolf who had been made a hybrid.

When he finally reached Alonzo's office, he kicked the door open and walked in with his bow raised, "Dominic Alonzo, you have failed this city!"

The man who was sitting in the chair by his desk slowly turned around to face Oliver. He was wearing a well-tailored suit and at first sight, he looked almost normal. Until, of course, Oliver looked into his eyes and saw that instead of being colored in a normal human color, or even the shiny golden hue that Felicity sometimes got, Alonzo's irises were blood red. The hybrid grinned at Oliver, revealing his set of canines and fangs that seemed to have remnants of blood on them.

"If it isn't the Hunter," Dominic clapped slowly. "I've been waiting for the day that you find my little operation and try to take me out. This is going to be so much  _fun_."

"Tell me what you know about the man who calls himself the Dark Archer," Oliver demanded, his voice disoriented due to the device he always had with him.

"The Dark Archer?" Dominic leered. "You don't mean the  _other_  arrow happy maniac that has been killing Dark Ones  _and_ humans in this city? The one that killed Alpert?"

"What do you know about him?" Oliver asked, tightening his grip on his bow. "You know he killed Alpert, so you must know more about him. Tell. Me.  _Now_."

Alonzo stared at him for a moment before breaking out in laughter. There was a crazy look in his eyes as he stood from his seat and leaned over the desk. "I'm  _glad_  that bastard killed Alpert. She and Bertinelli were getting far too comfortable running the Black Rose. Now that Bertinelli is unbalanced, I might have a shot at taking over the place and secure a spot higher in the hierarchy," Dominic said.

"So Alpert's death was convenient for you? That makes it seem even more like you  _hired_  the Dark Archer to do your dirty work," Oliver said.

"The Dark Archer follows no one," Dominic snarled, a wild look on his face suddenly. "I've tried to send my own men out to find him, to try and recruit him, but they've all been dropped on my front door with their hearts in a bag!"

"That only means they got close enough to have them ripped out," Oliver stated.

"I don't like you very much, Hunter," Dominic mused. "You're boring me and I can  _smell_  the fear off of you. Do you really think you would be able to come here and overpower my men and then kill me?"

"I'm not afraid of you," Oliver snapped, releasing one of his arrows which flew straight into Alonzo's stomach. The hybrid grunted, but didn't seem very bothered by it. Instead, the monster only laughed, pulling the arrow out of him, inspecting the bloodied tip.

His red eyes seemed to glow in that moment and Oliver watched as the hybrid's tongue darted out to taste his own blood. "Hmm, I think my blood would taste  _a lot_ better if it had some of  _yours_ in it," he grinned, looking over at Oliver. "The end is coming for your kind, Hunter, but for  _you_ , it'll be here a lot sooner."

The next thing Oliver knew, the room was crawling with Dark Ones. He didn't even see where they had come from, but the back door to Alonzo's office had opened, so he was pretty sure that was where they had been waiting for their cue. Firing two arrows, he managed to take out two of them, but there were still about ten more Nighcrawlers besides Dominic in there. One of the faster ones, probably a vampire, tore his bow from his grip and he barely managed to push him off before the monster could sink his fangs into his neck. He fought them off as well as he could, but it didn't take long before two of the stronger wolves had caught his arms and forced him down on his knees.

" _Oliver!_ " Felicity's voice yelled out through the comm and Oliver closed his eyes when one of the Dark Ones kicked him in the ribs.

Alonzo walked around his desk and knelt down in front of Oliver, whose face was still covered by his hood. "Isn't this an interesting turn of events, Hunter. I can hardly contain the excitement of finding out who is hiding under your hood..."

" _Felicity, don't!_ " Diggle's voice echoed in his ear and Oliver opened his eyes just as he felt Alonzo's hand come to rest on his head.

Suddenly, one of the wolves that was holding him down was ripped away from him and Oliver used Alonzo's momentary surprise to punch the monster in the face. The hybrid stumbled back and Oliver took one of the smaller arrows he had inside of his vest out and disposed of the other wolf that was holding him down, embedding the weapon inside the monster's heart. He lifted his head and watched both in awe and in horror as Felicity fought off the other vampires and werewolves that worked for Alonzo. She was so fast that it almost looked like she wasn't moving at all. They were charging at her, but one by one they fell to the floor, darts- most likely filled with vervain or wolfsbane- lodged in their necks. She spun around and threw one dart toward Oliver, who flinched in surprise when it embedded itself in the forehead of one of the vampires that had been about to attack him from behind. Instantly, he woke from his daze and began helping her take care of the Nightcrawlers. While she dropped their unconscious bodies to the floor, he started killing them one by one with the arrows that were still in his quiver. He found his bow in the midst of fighting, but just as he turned, aiming at Alonzo, he froze when he saw that the mad hybrid had gotten a hold of Felicity's golden locks and had an arm around her throat, a wooden stake resting just underneath her chin. The mad man was breathing heavily as he stared at all his fallen henchmen and Oliver didn't dare to put his bow down now.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this!" Alonzo yelled. "You ruined everything, you foolish little monster!" He glared down at Felicity who was struggling in his grip. Oliver tensed suddenly when he saw Alonzo's expression change to one of recognition. "Wait a minute... You're her, aren't you? The blonde little bitch that escaped?"

"Let her go,  _now_!" Oliver growled out, aiming right at Alonzo's head. His body was sheltered by Felicity, so he couldn't very well shoot him through the heart. The head would be the next best thing, but for him to actually  _kill_  Alonzo, he would need to decapitate him.

"No way," Alonzo laughed. "The Master is going to  _love_  hearing about his blonde girl working with the Hunter! Considering how much trouble she's been causing, I hardly think he would mind if I played a little first though..."

"Don't–" Oliver started but abruptly cut off by Felicity's agonizing scream when Alonzo lowered the stake he was holding and pushed it into her stomach. Without even thinking, Oliver released his arrow which hit Alonzo right in the forehead, causing the monster to stumble back. His grip on Felicity loosened and the blonde hybrid fell to the floor, removing the stake from her stomach as she gasped out in pain. There were tears building in her eyes, but Oliver moved past her, seeing red as he towered over Alonzo's body that lay on the desk, staring up, empty. He didn't even know what he was doing at first, but the next thing he knew, Felicity was yelling at him to stop.

"It's okay, Oliver! Stop!" she called out desperately, but he just  _couldn't_. There was a rage inside of him that he had only felt when he had come back from Lian Yu and he didn't know what do do with it anymore. He stared down at his bloodied hands and looked down at Alonzo, whose face was now barely recognizable.

"Oliver," Diggle said from behind him and Oliver just wondered when his partner had made it into the room. "It's over. You don't have to keep hitting him. He's dead."

 _Something_  washed over Oliver and he finally turned around to look at Diggle and Felicity. The older man was crouched next to Felicity, who was still sitting on the floor, her shirt still bloody from where Alonzo had stabbed her with his stake. She was staring at him wide-eyed and he hated himself for letting her see him like that.

But he was still angry.

Angry at himself for going after Alonzo in the first place, angry for it all to have turned out to be another dead end. He was angry for getting caught off guard and angry at Felicity for intervening. He was angry that he had allowed Alonzo to hurt Felicity.

He was just... _Angry._

-§-

Oliver glared at the computer screen in front of him while he waited for Felicity to get out of the shower. As soon as they had disposed of the bodies in the casino, they had gone back to the lair and Felicity had instantly gone to change her clothes and clean up. Diggle had tried to talk to Oliver, but Oliver had told him not to bother, because his words of wisdom wouldn't change anything tonight. He had gone after Alonzo and followed the plan they had made up together, but it had all gone wrong anyway and Felicity had almost ended up killed because of it.

_Because she had once again saved his life._

The door to the bathroom opened and Felicity stepped out, wincing a little with every step she took. Oliver stood from the chair he was sitting in and headed to the small fridge where he proceeded to pull out a blood bag. He walked over to Felicity and wordlessly handed the whole thing to her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, looking at him questioningly.

"It'll help you heal faster, won't it?" he asked, his voice coming out angrier than he intended.

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him, "Yeah, it will."

"That's good," he said. "Maybe it'll also heal your brain enough to that your common sense returns to you."

"What the hell is  _your_ problem?" Felicity snapped, shooting him a glare. "If it wasn't for me, you would have been dead now, Oliver!"

"You should have stayed in the van!" he yelled back at her. "Diggle could have helped me–"

"He wouldn't have been fast enough, and you know it!" Felicity growled at him. "Alonzo was crazy and he would have told his men to rip you apart, Oliver! So no, I am not going to apologize for intervening!"

"He  _recognized_ you," Oliver pointed out. "He knew who you were and you risked  _everything_ ; not only your own life, but our mission as well!"

"Our mission?" Felicity questioned. "Is that what you're worried about? That the Dark Ones might have found out that I'm working with the Arrow? Is that it? We killed all the Nightcrawlers that were in that casino! There's no one alive to tell the story!"

"Someone could have escaped, and what would we have done then?" Oliver snapped at her.

"What did you expect me to do? Sit tight and just watch you get torn to pieces?" Felicity yelled back at him, taking a step forward as she got in his face.

Oliver was breathing heavily and somewhere in his peripheral view he could see Diggle moving a little closer to them, most likely trying to be prepared in case the situation got out of control. Oliver didn't back down though, instead, he took a step closer to her as well, their noses almost brushing as he glared down at her. "It's better than you dying over nothing," he told her, so low that he wasn't sure she would have hear him.

For a moment, something flickered across her face and Oliver wanted nothing more than to just forget about the whole argument. But how could he, when he had come so close to loosing her tonight?

"You are  _not_ nothing, Oliver," Felicity replied, her voice equally low. "I'm a part of your team now, whether you like it or not, and I'm willing to do  _everything_  to keep both you and Diggle safe. I don't care if you think that it's reckless or stupid, but I consider you a part of my family and I'll do everything to protect you."

"Even if it means risking your own life?" he wondered, the question slipping out before he could stop it.

"Yes."

He had never heard such warmth and coldness mixed together in one word at the same time. Felicity cared about him... Him and Diggle. She was willing to do anything to keep them safe and Oliver honestly couldn't understand it. Sure, they trusted each other and he had admitted that they were a team, but for Felicity to actually tell them that she would give her own life if it meant that they were safe? That was a whole new level of something.

"You're their loose end," Oliver stated. "If Dominic had gotten out alive, he would have gone to the Master and told him about you. He would have taken you to him and what would have happened then?" Oliver took a step back from Felicity and looked away. He met Diggle's eyes and the man looked at him worriedly. A lot of things had come to light tonight, but a lot of things still remained a question mark.

"I was asking the wrong questions," Oliver realized. "Alonzo didn't know much about the Dark Archer, but when he saw and recognized Felicity, he mentioned the Master. He must have known about the Undertaking and we could have used him to get more information... Now, he's dead and we're back on square one."

"We can't think about that now, Oliver," Diggle sighed. "Whatever happened tonight, happened. We can't go back and change things. You took a dangerous, mad hybrid off the streets and made Starling City at least a little bit safer. We need to see this as a small win and not as a set back."

Oliver nodded despite not really believing it. "I'm going to let go of the search for the other archer," he finally said. "My obsession with finding him led us to that casino tonight and it almost got us all killed."

"Oliver, I was the one who told you about it," Felicity stated. "I'm just as much to blame as anyone..."

"You told me that Alonzo was dangerous," Oliver said, looking back at her. He felt a little calmer now, but he could still see a storm raging inside of Felicity's eyes. "You warned be about him but I still underestimated him because I was too stubborn to..." he trailed off and shook his head, pinching the brig of his nose. "We should all head home and get some rest. It's been a long night."

"Okay," Felicity whispered, but Oliver knew that their conversation was far from over.

"Do you want a ride home, Oliver?" Diggle asked.

"No, I'll take the bike," he told his friend. "I need to clear my head a little."

"Are you sure that's good for you? You're still pretty injured," Felicity pointed out calmly.

Oliver just gave her a look and she sighed, looking away from him, knowing that there was no point in arguing with him again.

When he got on his bike later, he pulled on his helmet and started for the mansion. The entire argument with Felicity was still echoing in his mind and he couldn't forget about the determined look on her face when she had told him that she considered him and Diggle to be her family. The things she had said and the way he had acted... He didn't want to believe that it had all been charged in the moment because of the fear that he had felt when Alonzo's stake had penetrated her stomach. It was difficult to admit for Oliver, that he had actually grown to care about the hybrid that was residing in his secret lair, but deep down, he knew it was true.

Oliver didn't even realize when he had stopped by the side of the road, motorcycle still turned on as he stared down the street he had been driving on. Honking cars passed him and people around him that were returning home from a night out in the city were laughing and pushing each other along the way, but all he could think about was the blonde that was down in the Foundry.

Without thinking, Oliver turned his bike around, heading back toward Verdant, not knowing what would happen when he once again talked to Felicity about what had happened tonight.

All he knew was that it needed to be settled and that it couldn't wait any longer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment!
> 
> And Happy Holidays to you all! :)


	12. The Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity can't sleep while thinking about her past and is surprised when Oliver comes back to the lair. The two of them end up talking about what happened with Dominic Alonzo and Oliver finally sees Felicity in a new light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! That's all I have to say after all the comments I got on the last chapter! Seriously, after that long wait, I never would have expected that kind of response! Thank you so much for all the positivity and for being so patient with me! :) I promised that this chapter would be up faster since it's a little bit shorter, but it's still past 7k so I hope that's okay.
> 
> As promised, this is the PURELY Olicity centered chapter that sort of develops their relationship a bit. You also learn a lot about Felicity's past...
> 
> Please enjoy! :)
> 
> Oh! And there might be a bad word in there... We're traveling into swear land a bit, but I'm just putting the warning here to be safe! :) (it's ONE word.)

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **1** **2: The Girl**

* * *

 

 

Felicity sighed deeply as she watched Oliver and Diggle leave.

_All alone again,_  she thought to herself, looking around the silent and dark lair. She looked at the blood bag in her hands that Oliver had given her before the two of them had started arguing. It weighted heavily in her hands and she shook her head, walking over to the fridge. She opened it and put the blood bag in there again before closing it and going back to her small cot. She sat down and buried her face in her hands, sighing loudly.

She knew she was better than this; she didn't need any blood to heal, even though it would speed the process up a bit. Her wound had already healed superficially, but internally it still stung a bit, although she knew she would endure. If there was one thing she knew she was able to do, it was just that:  _endure_.

Running a hand through her unruly curls, she opened her eyes and stared out at the open space of the room. She loved the Foundry like a home, yes, but that didn't mean that she had to enjoy staying there every single night. Some nights, she couldn't help but miss the comfort of a real bed and she remembered the apartment she had lived in before she had been taken.

She missed waking up in her own bed, surrounded by pictures of friends and family members who she had long ago lost...

A tear trailed down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly, preparing to lay down on the cot. She couldn't think about all the things that had happened in the past. If she did, she knew that it would kill her. She had shut it all out for so long, focusing on the missions that she, Diggle and Oliver had instead of actually allowing herself to work through her own issues.

Pulling the cover over herself, she leaned her head back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. When she closed her eyes, she could still hear the sound of music from upstairs, but she knew that it was just a matter of time before the club closed for the night.

After everything that had happened in that underground casino tonight, she needed rest. She put her hand over her stomach where Alonzo had attacked her with a stake and gently touched the small ridge of puckered skin that would be completely healed tomorrow morning.

She tried not to think about it, but the memories forced their way to the surface.

-§-

_The wolfsbane burned her wrists as the men who had taken her tied her up in the chair with the rope drained in the herb. Her head lolled to the side, her mind still not alert enough to know that was going on. She tried to open her eyes but the light was too bright, causing her to audibly wince._

" _Look who's waking up," a man snickered. Felicity felt the ropes around her wrists tighten slightly and let out a small groan._

" _Who are you?" she whispered, prying one eye open, allowing it to adjust to the light. She could only see two shadowed figures standing on her right side._

" _You'll find out soon enough," another one replied. "As soon as you_ submit _."_

_Whoever it was, knelt down in front of her and began tying up her legs too. She reacted on pure instinct, lifting her leg, kicking the man in the face._

_He let out a loud scream and Felicity finally managed to open both her eyes as she began struggling against the bonds._

" _You_ fucking _bitch!" the man yelled, his nose bleeding as he glared at her from the floor. "What the hell are you looking at? Restrain her!"_

_The door on the other side of the room opened just as the other man who had been next to her held her hands down, his fingernails digging into her skin, drawing blood. Three more men hurried inside. One of them pointed a gun at her and the next thing she knew, she felt a sting in her neck, a second before everything turned black._

-§-

The sound of the Foundry door opening broke her out of the memory. She sat up in the bed immediately and looked toward the stairs. Inhaling deeply, she sensed the familiar scent of Oliver, but it only confused her.

Why had he returned?

Patiently, she waited and a couple of seconds later, Oliver stood on the last step of the stairs, frozen in his spot as he saw her sitting on her cot. She pulled the covers away from herself and stood up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"

Oliver looked around almost nervously and she could see his two fingers rubbing together; his only tell showing. "Everything is fine," he said after a moment, looking up at her. For another few seconds, he stayed quiet and Felicity could hear his heart beating steadily in his chest, not giving anything away.

"Why are you here, Oliver?" she sighed. "You should be at home,  _resting_."

He took the final step off of the stairs and walked toward her desk slowly, resting his hands on the table as he sat down in her chair. "I couldn't leave knowing that we hadn't resolved whatever it was that we started tonight," he admitted.

"It's already resolved, Oliver," Felicity told him. "We argued. It happens. We have more important things to think about than a small fight."

Oliver just sat there, watching her with his intense blue eyes that made her want to drown in him. She was glad that Oliver wasn't a supernatural being, because her own heart was beating frantically in her chest at the moment.

"I need to apologize for the things I said, Felicity," Oliver said, spinning in the chair so that he was facing her.

Okay, now she was a little confused. She knew that she too might have said a few things that he hadn't liked, and yes, he might have been somewhat of a jerk, but she knew that he hadn't meant the hurtful things he had said.

"Oliver, you don't have to–" she began, but he held up a hand to cut her off.

"Felicity, please," he said. "Just listen to me, okay?" He waited for a moment and she nodded, giving him the go. "I should have listened to you when you first told me that Alonzo was dangerous. I underestimated him even after you warned me about him and..." he trailed off for a moment, shaking his head. "I  _hate_  that I put you in danger."

"Oliver..." She took a couple of steps and stood in front of him. He was still sitting on her chair, refusing to look at her. Slowly, she put her hands on his shoulders and forced him to meet her gaze. "I'm  _fine_ , Oliver. I'm healing and we all came out of it alive."

She didn't know whether it was his exhaustion or if he had suffered some kind of head injury while fighting off Alonzo's men, but Oliver lifted his hands and put them on her waist, looking up at her. It felt so incredibly intimate that it made her skin all warm and tingly. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his and in that second, he seemed to let down all his walls, allowing her to see the pain that was flowing through him.

Her breath hitched and she wanted to say something else, but she couldn't find the words.

"Oliver, listen," she finally decided. "I've been through so much already in such a short period of time. I don't blame you for not listening to me tonight because I know that you wanted information on the Dark Archer–"

"Information that could have gotten you killed! Both you and Diggle," he added in a whisper.

"And  _you_ ," she told him sternly. "Whatever it is that is going through your head, stop it. You don't have to blame yourself for the things that happened tonight. I risked my life because I thought you were worth saving and I'm not going to let you blame yourself for  _my_ choices."

"Felicity." He had only said her name, but somehow it felt like he had told her a thousand things at the same time.

"All I ask," she continued, "is that you don't try to downplay the thing we have going with our team. Somehow, in this messed up world, we're kind of like family and I stand by what I said earlier tonight: you and Diggle  _are_ my family, whether you like it or not." She finally took a step back from him, causing his hands to fall limb down into his lap again. "Even if you might not consider me family, or even a partner like you do with Diggle... Please don't push me away because of the way  _I_ feel. I don't want to lose you... You and Diggle both."

After what felt like ages of just staring at each other, Oliver finally nodded slowly. "Okay," he agreed.

She sent him a small smile which only widened when she saw that his lips too twitched up a little.

" _So,_ " she drawled, shifting nervously on her feet. "We okay?"

"We're okay," Oliver confirmed with a small nod. "I'm sorry if I woke you up. I just needed to get all of that off my chest."

"It's alright," Felicity said, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. "I couldn't sleep. The cot isn't the most comfortable thing I've slept on... Not that I'm complaining!" she quickly added before groaning. "Except that I totally  _am_ , aren't I?"

Oliver watched her curiously, as if contemplating her. There seemed to be a thousand questions running through his mind and when he finally opened his mouth to speak, she never would have expected the words that came out of it.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asked and she swore that a second later, his cheeks were  _a little_ more red than they had been before he had spoken.

Her eyes widened momentarily and apparently, it was  _very_ possible for heart to start beating even faster. "What?" she asked.

"You need to rest and well, you said that the cot isn't very comfortable... I just thought, uh, that there's plenty of room at the mansion," Oliver explained.

At that moment, Felicity thought,  _he_ was the one who seemed uncomfortable. She couldn't believe that he was actually asking her to come with him to the mansion so that she could get a proper night's sleep in a real bed. It was just so... _sweet_  of him.

"Felicity?" Oliver said and she looked up at him. "Uhm, an answer would be nice..."

"Oh," her eyes widened, "yes. I mean, of course I'll sleep with you. No! What I meant was that I'd love to come over to the mansion and sleep there tonight! Ignore what I said ten seconds ago," she blushed.

Oliver watched her again and she could have sworn that she saw the corner of his mouth twitching again.

"Let me just grab my things quickly," she told him and he nodded. She sped around the lair in her hybrid speed, grabbing all the things she would need in the morning when she got ready for work, showing them inside a bag. Zipping it up, she turned around to face Oliver again, "Okay, I'm ready."

He nodded and stood from his seat, walking toward her. Taking the bag from her hands, he motioned with his hand toward the stairs, "Let's go then."

As they walked toward his bike, she tried her hardest to ignore his hand that seemed to be hovering over her lower back.

"You need to put on a helmet," he told her.

She stared at him as he handed her the extra helmet he had been quick to grab before they had walked out of the lair. "I didn't consider you driving us to the mansion on your bike," she admitted, biting her lower lip.

"Do you want to run there like you did to the lair that first night?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she shook her head quickly, smiling as she remembered that night when she had followed him on foot and beat him to Verdant. "Come on then."

She put on the helmet and he got on the bike. Quickly, she grabbed the bag from him and slung it over her shoulders so that he wouldn't be distracted by it while driving them and then got on the bike herself.

If anyone asked her if she enjoyed having to wrap her arms around Oliver's body and hold on for dear life as he sped through the streets of Starling City at night, she's pretty sure she would have ended up rambling so bad, that everyone would see through her lies if she tried telling them that she didn't.

-§-

Oliver parked his bike in the garage and allowed Felicity to get off it first before him. A part of him still couldn't believe that he had actually gone back and invited the blonde hybrid to come with him to the mansion. He had felt bad for her because the girl had been injured while saving him and he had forced her to stay down in the lair since she had joined them, even if she had proven herself multiple times over that she could be trusted.

"I'll take your bag," he told her softly as he reached for it. It was still slung over her shoulder and when he took it from her, he couldn't help but touch her blonde tresses as well. Felicity stood frozen, watching him as he met her gaze, his hand still hovering over her shoulder, fingers brushing back her hair, his fingertips gently touching her cheek.

Oliver swallowed, willing himself to calm down and not do something stupid because surely, he must have surpassed the amount of stupidity that was allowed during one night.

"I, uh..." Felicity began but trailed off. Oliver found himself wishing she would have finished the sentence, because he wanted to know what she was thinking. He remembered the way he had held onto her down in the lair before he had invited her over; remembered the way his hands had rested on her waist and how  _right_ it had felt, for some reason.

"Hmm...?" he hummed his silent question and she blinked a couple of times. Why couldn't he stop touching her?

"Your mother," Felicity suddenly said.

Oliver blinked, "What?"

"Is your mother home? I mean, don't you think it'll be awkward tomorrow when she sees me? I don't want her to think that something is up between us. Especially not since she's finally starting to be nice to me," Felicity explained. "Not that your mom isn't nice, of course. And Walter and Thea. I don't want people to assume that–"

" _Fe-li-ci-ty_ ," he said, sounding out every syllable and he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. "They are all asleep and if we even see them tomorrow, we'll make up some excuse. Don't think about it tonight."

"Okay," she agreed. "I suppose we've been thinking too much anyway..."

Yet again, their eyes connected and he couldn't hep but feel like she was thinking about something else too. To be honest,  _he_ was the one that was  _definitely_ thinking about something else regarding the two of them, but he wasn't ready to share that at the moment.

"There's a room right next to mine with an adjoining door," he explained. "You can sleep there tonight."

He began walking toward the door when he felt a pair of cold fingers slip into his hand, stopping him. His breath hitched a little and he looked back at Felicity, who was watching him intently with her cerulean eyes.

"Thank you, Oliver," she whispered, not removing her hand from his.

Without actually thinking first, he squeezed her hand tightly, "Don't mention it."

He didn't let go of her hand as he led her through the house quietly and neither of them pointed it out either. Some kind of unspoken understanding seemed to be passed between them and for the first time in forever, Oliver realized that he had never really needed words to communicate with Felicity.

-§-

Felicity twisted and turned on the bed.

It was so comfortable, that it was almost too comfortable and she didn't seem to be able to get any sleep at all. Oliver had showed her to the room and she had felt like a teenager again, sneaking into her boyfriend's dorm room late at night.

But of course, Oliver wasn't her boyfriend. They weren't officially friends either, but she knew that they were getting there. The intimate moments in between didn't help much though, but she didn't dwell on it too much.

The reason she couldn't sleep wasn't the comfortable bed though. It was the thoughts that had been plaguing her before Oliver came back to the lair and talked to her; the memories of her earlier years and the horrors of her captivity.

She eyed the chandelier in the middle of the room and then stared at the ceiling. It was silent in the room, but next door, she could hear Oliver twisting and turning in his own bed. The urge to go to him was almost too big, but she pushed it down and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

It didn't work.

She sighed loudly and sat up in the bed, moving the covers away from her body as she stood up. Barefoot, she walked over to the balcony door and opened it as silently as she possibly could before stepping out into the cold night air.

The full moon was only a few nights away and she could feel it straight into her bones as she recalled the days that she had been forced to chain herself up in an abandoned shack a couple of miles away from campus so that she wouldn't lose control and rip her roommates to pieces when she turned.

It had taken her years to learn how to control her wolf form and even though she had never fully mastered her powers as a werewolf, she hadn't needed o think much of them once she was turned into a hybrid. At times, she found herself wishing that she could just go back in time and appreciate the fact that being a wolf would have been easier for her. She could have found herself a pack and lived happily, but instead, she had hated what she was and tried to deny that part of herself, which had made her transformations even more gruesome.

She grabbed the railing on the balcony and looked down at the lawn before closing her eyes. Tears sprung from them and she took a small breath, willing herself to calm down before she broke completely.

She was so deep in thought that she almost missed the balcony door opening again, but she felt his presence behind her before he even spoke. Chills crept up her arms as she slowly turned to face him and she didn't bother hiding the fact that she had been crying.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked, looking uncertain. She looked down at his hands and noticed that he was clutching a blanket in them. Warm washed over her when she realized that he had carried it outside for her and she was once again forced to blink away tears.

Even though Oliver had claimed to hate her, dislike her and everything in between, things between them had changed these last couple of weeks. Actually, they had changed  _a lot more_ these last twenty-four hours, if their conversation down in the lair was anything to go by.

She found herself wanting to share everything with him. She wanted to tell him her story and she wanted him to see her for the person she was, not the monster he thought she was. When she had first joined them, Diggle had been more welcoming that Oliver and she had told him a story or two from her past. Diggle had sat in silence as she had retold the way she had been held captive and she had seen the way he had felt sorry for her. She didn't want his pity, but she knew that it had been inevitable.

"Are you... Are you cold?" Oliver asked, lifting the blanket in his hands. "I don't know if you, or any hybrids really, get cold."

"I get cold," she told him silently, watching him. "I feel everything that you feel, maybe more."

Her emotions for one were a lot more heightened now that she was a hybrid. It had calmed a bit since she had first been turned though. The first month had been excruciating, to say the least.

"You can't sleep here either, can you?" Oliver frowned.

"I just needed some air, I think," she said calmly. He stepped toward her and opened up the blanket. Taking another step closer, he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and she smiled up at him as she grabbed the edges to pull it tighter around herself. She was surprised when he didn't immediately pull away from her. Instead, he remained there and suddenly the distance between their bodies felt barely existent. Breathing in, she could recognize every single scent on him that made him Oliver.

"Do you mind staying with me? Just for a little while?" she asked him, not being able to help herself.

"Just for a little while," he agreed, so silently that she had barely heard him.

The two of them sat down on the balcony floor and leaned back against the wall, looking up at the moon and the stars together. They sat there for several minutes when she felt Oliver shudder next to her. She turned to him and noticed that he was just wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and some sweatpants.

"Are you cold?" she asked, repeating the question that he had asked her earlier. "We can share the blanket, if you want?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "I've lived through colder nights..."

_On the Island_ , Felicity realized as she eyed him.

"Don't be silly," she said anyway and pulled at the blanket so that he too would be able to wrap it around his shoulders. It took a little maneuvering since he was so much bigger than her, but eventually she got them settled. She was forced to sit a little closer to him than before and she hoped that he didn't mind, especially since she didn't. When he moved his arm so that it was wrapped around her and rested his hand on her hip, she told herself that it was only so that he would be more comfortable.

They kept looking at the moon together, neither of them speaking for over half an hour. Oliver's hand hadn't moved from her hip and they had both relaxed, leaning against each other. The clock was most likely past three in the morning, but so far neither of them had made a move to go to bed or even suggested that they were tired.

It was exactly then, that Felicity opened her mouth and spoke, risking the perfection of the moment as she did.

"I was born a werewolf, you know?" she said, eyes still trained on the moon above them that had moved a bit over the sky since the night had begun. "I think I got the gene from my father, but I wouldn't know exactly, since he walked out on me and my mom when I was seven. My werewolf side didn't show until I was in college..."

Oliver's grip on her hip tightened a little and she grew silent. He cleared his throat, "You can talk about it, if you want to..."

Clearly, she had misunderstood his action, so she turned and looked at him. He looked down at her, leaning his head back a little so that he could actually see her face fully. That was the moment that Felicity realized just how close they were to each other and she felt her face heat up a little.

"You really want to know?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Silently and incredibly slow, he nodded. Felicity took a deep breath and turned back to look at the sky.

"You already know that I'm from Vegas, originally," she said. "As I mentioned, my dad walked out on me and my mom... I don't know why, but I suppose it might have had to do with hunters in the area or... I don't really know. Maybe that's just something I kept telling myself when I found out that I would turn into a wolf at every full moon, to make myself feel better."

"When did you find out?" Oliver asked quietly, his thumb brushing against her hip, in an almost comforting manner.

"First year of going to MIT," she replied. "I, uh, was very angry over the Summer. Couldn't sleep well at night so I went out and partied a lot. Didn't do any drugs though, just drank, but never too much since it didn't take much to take the edge off at first. Then during my first semester, somewhere in mid October, I think, there was a full moon and–"

She cut herself off, staring blankly into space. The night was silent and the only thing she could hear was her own breathing and Oliver's.

"It's okay," he murmured. "You don't have to tell me."

"I want to," she whispered back, still staring ahead.

-§-

_There was loud music playing down the hall. Felicity rolled onto her side, glaring at the clock that informed her that the time was 1 A.M. She had a huge test tomorrow and she needed to sleep, but the party next doors was raging on and there was nothing she could do about it, since she didn't want to be the buzz kill that always ruined everything._

_Drowning out the noise, she managed to catch some sleep, but an hour later, she woke up drenched in her own sweat. Eyes wide, she stumbled out of bed and hurried to the bathroom, locking the door after herself. Everything was blurry but at the same time sharper than it had ever been. The music from next door seemed louder suddenly and she felt the same anger she had felt the entire Summer well up inside of her._

_Washing her face, she could feel her hands trembling. It was as if a fine tremor was running through her body; like bugs were biting away at her flesh and leaving the bones out in the open. Whenever she moved, it hurt, until suddenly, it just didn't._

_She stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes shimmered; the blue of her irises seemed to be glowing, making her look almost lethal. She tried to remember if she had eaten anything during the day that could cause an allergic reaction like that, but nothing came to mind._

_Then, a loud noise was heard next door and she completely lost it. She slammed the bathroom door open and then went straight for her front door. Without thinking, she stalked over to the people living next to her and knocked on the door loudly, anger still seething inside of her._

" _Open the damn door!" she yelled, barely recognizing her own voice. The music quieted down a bit and the door swung open, revealing two giggling girls who were looking at her funnily._

" _Smoak? What's up with you?" one of them asked._

" _Did you take a midnight swim in your pajamas or something?" the other one laughed, giving Felicity a once over._

" _Turn the music down," Felicity growled at them–_ literally  _growled at them._

" _Why don't you make us?" the first girl crossed her arms over her chest. Felicity took a step forward, ready to rip the girl to pieces with her teeth when a third figure appeared in the door._

" _Hey, Jasmine," the guy said, looking at the girl who had spoken. "I'll take care of this."_

_Jasmine smirked at Felicity before turning to the young man again, "You do that, Coop. We'll keep partying." She sent Felicity a pointed look before walking away with her friend again. The music was turned up once more and the guy stepped outside, closing the door. He looked over Felicity once before narrowing his eyes at her._

" _What are you thinking? You should be chained up somewhere so you don't hurt anyone," he told her._

" _What the hell are you going on about? Chained up? I'm not into all that domination crap," Felicity snarled at him. Then she realized that she was still growling at him and her eyes widened. She felt sick to her stomach and the pain was once again back. "Oh my God, what is happening to me?" she cried out, covering her ears with her hands._

" _You've never...? Oh my God," the guy said, grabbing onto Felicity's shoulders. "I need to get you out of here._ Now! _"_

_The next hour was a blur to Felicity. She remembered getting in a car with a complete stranger and the guy speeding toward the forest. Briefly, the thought that he might actually be trying to kidnap or kill her crossed her mind, but the excruciating pain was too much so she could barely keep her eyes open._

" _Who are you?" she mumbled through closed eyes as her head lolled to the side._

" _My name is Cooper. Don't worry, I'll take care of you," he answered. "I just need to get you to a safe place."_

_When he turned the car off a few minutes later, he opened Felicity's door and practically pushed her outside. She fell to the cold ground and remained there, on all fours, panting and trying desperately to breathe._

" _Why does it hurt so much?" she cried, tears streaming down her face. She felt a lot more sober now, and the pain was...unbearable._

" _You're turning for the first time," Cooper replied. "That's the way it's supposed to be." He sat down on the ground in front of her but didn't move._

" _Turning? What?" Felicity gasped, suddenly hearing a bone break. Actually, she didn't just hear it; she_ felt  _it. The scream that was torn from her throat was so loud that Cooper actually cringed in front of her. Felicity stared down at her arm, which was stuck in a strange angle. The bone in her leg was snapped in two, then her other arm ended up like the first. Felicity screamed and screamed until she was hoarse and couldn't scream anymore._

_Then, everything went black._

-§-

"Cooper and I got together later," Felicity told Oliver. "I was lucky that he was there that first night. He was two years older than me, so he had been turning for a longer period of time and was used to it. He could control his wolf form better than me, so once I turned, he did too and kept me from running into any people."

"You had no idea that you were a werewolf?" Oliver asked and Felicity shook her head.

"I had no idea that those things even existed. I was eighteen when I first turned and I swear, I would have ended up killing someone by accident if I had been alone," she said.

"So you never...?"

"Killed anyone?" Felicity turned back to look at him. She met his gaze and could literally see the worry inside of them. This would be a defining moment, she knew it, but fortunately, she didn't have to worry about lying to him. "I've never killed anyone," she said. "I've been close, a few times, but I've never actually done it. I have never been able to bring myself to actually kill a Dark One either, so maybe that can be considered a weakness."

Oliver didn't say anything and she sighed.

"Either way, I was with Coop until my last year of MIT. He was arrested for something that he hadn't done and he... He hung himself before they could even go to court," Felicity swallowed.

"I'm sorry," Oliver whispered and she could have sworn that he had pressed his face into her hair as his grip around her tightened.

"I got myself together, found a pack of wolves and became their beta," she explained, purposefully not saying anything regarding Cooper. It was still too painful for her to think about. "I think the alpha's brother had a thing for me, which made it easier to join the group and be accepted. They were a family pack, so they were friendly. I ran with them until I graduated and then separated from them and became an omega. I wanted to live as humanly as possible, so I came to Starling City." She shook her head and snorted at herself, "Little did I know that the supernatural being in this city were basically organized crime lords."

"Was that when you got captured by the Master?" Oliver wondered.

Felicity felt happiness flutter inside of her at the fact that he hadn't referred to the Master as  _her_ Master. That had been one of those things that she and Oliver always ended up arguing about and she was glad that he had remembered not to put it like that.

"Yeah," Felicity drawled. "I was at the Black Rose one night and then afterward, some guys jumped and attacked me. When I woke up again, I was chained to a wall in some basement."

"What did they do to you?" This time, when Oliver's grip on her tightened, she was sure that she hadn't imagined it. Her hand came to rest on top of his and she squeezed gently, forcing him to relax before she continued telling her story.

"For a while they just mocked me and... _tortured_  me," Felicity shuddered. Yet again, Oliver drew her a little closer, but she didn't want to question the sudden closeness between them, because she liked it. "They would use wolfsbane and drag it over my skin. Laugh at me when I cried, telling me I was weak. They tried to mentally break me and until I finally figured out  _why,_ they almost managed."

"They wanted to turn you into a hybrid," Oliver muttered bitterly and she nodded.

"That,  _and_ they wanted to control me," Felicity explained. "That's why they were tormenting me, because it was easier to get me to  _submit_  once I turned if I had already been broken."

"For their army of hybrids..."

"Yeah..."

They stayed quiet for another minute before Oliver once again spoke. "How did they turn you?"

Felicity shifted a little uncomfortably, "There are several ways to turn a supernatural being into a hybrid. Made vampires are more difficult to turn, since they are already dead, but werewolves are easier. Either one feeds them a mixture of highly concentrated lamia blood mixed with shapeshifter blood, kill them and then leave them to turn once they feed on a human, or you can do it like they did it to me."

"Which was?" Oliver questioned.

"They force fed me lamia blood for days," Felicity said, scrunching her nose up in disgust. "Lamia vampires are  _born_  vampires, so they're not technically dead. They are just...monsters, I suppose. The vampire blood killed all the human cells in my body, but my werewolf side was still strong. The wolf blood and the lamia blood mixed together and connected as far as I know. Then the new blood became the only thing that was being pumped through my heart and body."

"Which means that your body started producing those blood cells all by itself then, right?" Oliver frowned and Felicity nodded.

"I'm not a biology major, but yeah. At least that's the only thing that makes sense, since I was knocked out for the final part of the procedure," she admitted. "When they had been feeding me the lamia blood, my body was exhausted and I was in constant pain since the blood types fought each other. I fainted and then woke up a week later, with fangs and all. I was already a hybrid by then."

"So you weren't killed?" Oliver breathed out, clearly shocked by the revelation.

"No," Felicity confirmed. "I wasn't killed. I was turned  _naturally_ , if that can be considered the right term to use."

"But does that mean that you're immortal?" he wondered.

"I heal faster than an average werewolf, depending on if I've drank blood, as you already know," Felicity said. "I age slower, like lamia vampires, but I am very much alive. The ways of killing a hybrid apply to me too, but wolfsbane and vervain don't hurt me, unless they are combined. White oak is the only effective wooden stake that would kill a hybrid, not sure why, so don't ask."

Oliver let out a breath, "That's a lot of information to take in."

"I know," Felicity said. "I'm sorry for burdening you with all of this."

"Hey," he said, gently touching her cheek with his hand that hadn't been wrapped around her. He forced her to look him in the eyes and she once again felt that fluttering in her stomach that she can't remember ever feeling with anyone before. "I was the one who  _asked_ you to tell me," he reminded her. "You're not a burden."

She smiled at him and reacted automatically by leaning her head into his palm. His thumb moved across her cheekbone and when she looked at him, she could see that there were a lot of things running though his mind.

"Before I escaped," she continued, "they tried forcing me to turn." She swallowed and looked down again. "They wanted to prove that I was submissive, but when I refused, they realized that something had gone wrong. I wasn't loyal to them, or the Master but they still tried to control me."

"They hurt you." It wasn't a question and Felicity could only nod.

"Tortured me for days again, until I finally pretended to give in," she said. "I made them believe that I had submitted, but inside, I still had a mind of my own. I saw others lose theirs though... People I had gotten to know who were turned into perfect little soldiers that didn't even recognize me."

They didn't talk after that. Felicity closed her eyes, leaning into Oliver who only tightened his grip on her further. She could see that the sun was beginning to rise and finally, after retelling her story and getting most of it off of her chest, she could feel herself relaxing.

She could recall that she had mumbled something about being dead at work later but Oliver had told her not to worry about it, so she had decided to listen to him. With his arms still around her, Felicity finally drifted off to sleep; the events of the night and the exhaustion from telling her story getting the better of her.

For the first time in months, she felt okay.

-§-

Oliver felt Felicity sag against him and immediately knew that she had fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew that he should probably get her to bed.

A lot of things had changed tonight, some of which Oliver himself wasn't even ready to think about fully. When he had seen Alonzo stab Felicity, something inside of him had broken and he never would have guessed that the hybrid that had joined his team had grown to actually mean something to him.

Felicity had shared a part of her past with him tonight and he partially didn't even understand  _why_ she would have done such a thing. He knew a thing or two himself about having gone through hell and back, but Felicity's story... It was something else entirely.

When he had gone back to the lair, the only thing he had had in mind was resolving the issues the two of them had argued about and also apologize for his behavior. The way he had reacted, the way he had been treating her since she joined them... He had somehow always just seen her as someone- some _thing-_ that would take it without even batting an eyelash.

He was used to hating the Nightcrawlers and when Felicity had joined them, he had hated her too, automatically. Although, as time passed, he had started seeing something in her that was almost human.

The inappropriate dreams he had been having about her still flustered him and he didn't want to think about their meaning, but the way he continuously ended up crying over Felicity's body whenever he had a nightmare where she died... It proved that he had indeed started caring about her, if anything, on a friendly level.

She had told him that she considered him and Diggle family, but he hadn't been able to tell her that he couldn't imagine going down to the lair and  _not_ see her there, by her computers. He wasn't ready to tell her that yet, but tonight he had already crossed so many lines with her that he wondered if she didn't already know what he was thinking.

The way he had held onto her when they had been down in the lair, the way he was holding her  _right now_  as she slept by his side, her head on his shoulder and his hand still holding hers; it made him all warm inside and for the first time in a long time, he actually felt content.

He looked down at her and for the first time since he had met her, he didn't see a blood sucking monster. He didn't see a killer, a predator, a hybrid.

For the first time, he actually saw  _a girl_.

A young woman, who had been through so much these past few months. A woman who had never asked to be turned into a monster, but a wolf who had actually tried her best to live a human life in peace, which had then been stolen from her when she had been turned against her will.

She had been innocent.

She  _was_ innocent.

' _I've never killed anyone._ '

Felicity's statement echoed in his mind and he remembered the way she had trembled after saving Thea's life, when she had admitted to wanting to rip the monsters that had almost hurt his sister apart.

' _They wanted to control me._ '

Suddenly, he understood her so much better. Why she was so unwilling to give up and keep her opinions to herself, why she hated it when Oliver referred to the Master as  _her sire_. She hadn't broken free from a Sire bond like he had previously assumed. No, she had never been sired in the first place because she had figured them out and never given up on having a mind of her own. Felicity hadn't allowed herself to be controlled by anyone and Oliver's respect for her skyrocketed as a result.

For her to have that kind of willpower... It made her special.

They had been out in the cold for too long, Oliver decided. Ever so slowly, he moved Felicity away from himself before moving into a crouching position, so he could take her into his arms, lifting her effortlessly. His breath caught when she snuggled into his chest, not waking despite him moving her. Her small hand was clutching his t-shirt right over his heart and he wondered for a moment if she could feel the organ beating loudly in his chest, even in her sleep. There was a small smile on her lips which made her look so innocent that it almost hurt to actually look at her.

Oliver swallowed as he looked at her, trying to will away the urge to swoop down and just kiss her. He shook his head lightly before stepping inside again, carrying Felicity to her bed. He laid her down and covered her with her comforter, over the blanket that was already wrapped around her. For another minute, he remained there, just watching her. Gently, he reached forward and brushed away a lose strand of golden hair from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear. His hand lingered a beat too long on her soft cheek and his fingertips seemed to burn where they came in contact with her skin.

That urge returned again, which was exactly what Oliver needed to pull away from her. He wasn't ready to take that kind of step; he wasn't sure if he ever would be. It was clear to him that he already cared too damn much about this woman and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to risk actually falling for her.

Whichever way he twisted the various scenarios that played out in his head, they always ended the same way: in heartbreak.

The sun was starting to rise and he walked over to his room, sparing one last glance at Felicity before closing the door after himself. Sighing, he moved to his bed, laying down. He would probably be dead on his feet later at work, but he and Felicity could always just come in a little later. He was sure his mother would understand if he gave her some excuse about a pipe bursting in Felicity's apartment, but he knew that if Thea was there, his baby sister would never let him live it down.

Images of the beautiful blonde sleeping in the room next to his once again appeared in his head. Closing his eyes, his heart still beating loudly, his skin still tingling from where her body had been pressed earlier, he wondered if she would ever cease to surprise him, as he finally drifted off to sleep with a small smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo...? What did you think? :) Reviews are always welcome! :)
> 
> The next chapter is called "The Revelation" and it'll probably be a little longer, so once again, I'm asking you to be patient. I have it all mapped out, but I just need time to write it and you all know how things are in the beginning of January when you have to get your stuff together before school begins. I have some studying to do too, but I promise I'll give myself an one to two hour break every day to write! :)
> 
> Thank you for reading and supporting! :)


	13. The Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks after the events at the underground casino and the night that Felicity spent at the Queen mansion, a few events occur which ultimately lead to a revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see, right? I am so sorry for not updating this story for so long and unfortunately, I have an announcement to make to those of you who don't follow me on tumblr or twitter.
> 
> I have been having A LOT of school work going on recently, and I'm juggling this story as well as one for The Walking Dead at the moment and it's becoming a bit much for me. I'm going to take a small posting hiatus on this story, which means that there won't be any new chapters of this for maybe like a month or so... I need to take the pressure off myself for a while and get my head in the game at school. That doesn't mean that I won't write though, so hopefully, I'll be able to finish a couple of chapters before I start posting again and then be able to start posting more regularly!
> 
> So, that was that, I suppose... Don't worry about me giving up on the story completely, because I have it all planned out, but I just need some time, as I said... I hope you understand.
> 
> Thank you for all the love I have gotten so far and don't forget to read the end note, because I have something to say there as well! :)
> 
> Please enjoy!

**Hunted**

**Chapter** **1** **3: The Revelation**

* * *

 

 

“Tell me again why you couldn't just wait for Barrera to give you the information himself?” Felicity complained as she hooked up the phone Oliver had given her to her computers.

Oliver rolled his eyes at her before stripping off his hood. “I told you that we needed to try those hook things you built,” he said. “What better way to try them than to kill a vampire assassin with them?”

Felicity circled around in her chair and rested her elbows on the desk before burying her face in her hands. “I can't believe I'm an arms-dealer,” she muttered.

“Felicity, you're not an arms-dealer,” Diggle said. The man was currently standing by his weapons arsenal, cleaning his guns while he watched Oliver and Felicity's exchange with something that Oliver could only describe as amusement.

“I made the device, didn't I?” Felicity retorted. “I've become the Arrow's own personal weapons specialist for killing Dark Ones, but I guess I'm not evil... Right?” She looked over at Oliver who shook his head at her in confirmation.

“You're not evil,” he told her, walking over to where she was sitting. He put his hand on her shoulder and she smiled up at him a little before turning back to her computer.

“So will you at least tell me whether it worked?” she asked, still not looking at him.

“You heard me say that he was dead, didn't you? The device had a controlled explosion that embedded a bunch of small stakes into the vampire's chest. He died instantly,” Oliver said.

Felicity covered his hand that was still resting on her shoulder with her own. “I know that he was a bad guy, but it makes me feel a bit better to at least know that it was quick,” she admitted. Oliver's thumb brushed her shoulder as he stood by her side and gently, she squeezed his hand.

Two weeks had passed since that night that Felicity had once again saved his life and the night that she had slept over in his mansion. A lot of things had changed between them since that night when Felicity had opened up about her past. He understood her a lot better than he had before and both of them were a lot more comfortable with each other. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he now knew that Felicity wasn't technically _dead_ like the majority of the other Dark Ones were? Or the fact that he now saw her as someone who had once been innocent, only to be mixed up in a world that she had never wanted to be a part of?

Nevertheless, things had changed and in his mind, it was for the better.

That morning after they had woken up, the two of them had gone down to the kitchen together, expecting to be the only ones in the mansion that late. However, apparently both his mother and Thea had stayed behind that morning. Felicity had been embarrassed at first when Thea had literally _squealed_ at the revelation that Felicity had slept over. His younger sister had insisted on showing Felicity around the mansion and Felicity had seemed thankful to get away from his mother at least, so she had gone with Thea. Oliver had watched them leave, his heart doing strange things in his chest when Felicity glanced back at him one more time before rounding the corner. He had fully expected his mother to begin lecturing him on inappropriate behavior with his Executive Assistant, but for some reason, no such comments had been made. Instead, his mother had simply asked if there was a reason that Felicity was there and he had gone with the excuse that a pipe had burst in her apartment and that she had needed a place for the night. His mother had seemed to accept that and when Thea and Felicity had returned, she had surprised him even more by actually being polite to Felicity while they all ate breakfast together. What had been even more surprising was that when Felicity had pointed out that she would probably get lost again in their mansion, despite Thea showing her around, Oliver's mother had laughed before easing into a simple work-related conversation with Felicity.

According to Felicity, it had been a little strange, but at the same time nice. She had told Oliver later as they drove to Queen Consolidated together that his mother wasn't so bad when one got to know her.

Moira's changed attitude toward Felicity wasn't the only thing that was different about his mother. The woman seemed to only become more secretive and distant as the days passed. Oliver hadn't wanted to think much of it until Walter had come forth and expressed his concern for his wife. Oliver had since then been keeping an eye on his mother and also asked Diggle to help in case he noticed something strange. So far, two weeks had gone by and they hadn't seen anything off with her.

“Are you seriously going with that name?” Diggle asked Felicity, causing Oliver to get back to reality. “' _The Arrow_ ' sounds a lot better than 'the Hood' but I didn't know that it was going to become a thing,” the older man mused.

“Yeah, it does sound better,” Felicity agreed. “It's more heroic, which I think suits Oliver just fine. I'm trying to spread the name around on the Internet so maybe more people will catch on,” she grinned at them.

“Felicity...” Oliver sighed, shaking his head at her. They had far more important things to think about than what people were calling him out on the streets.

“ _Oliver_ ,” Felicity drawled, pointedly looking up at him from under her lashes. “Don't deny me this, please?”

Oliver only shook his head at her, but couldn't help the twitching in the corner of his mouth. He let go of her shoulder, just then realizing that he had been resting his hand there for well over ten minutes, before walking off to the training area where he immediately began his workout. He heard Felicity sigh behind him and smirked, knowing very well that the hybrid had been watching him as he took off his shirt.

“You're going to try to see who it was that hired Barrera and who the assassin was hired to kill?” Diggle asked Felicity.

“Yeah, it might take a couple of minutes to decrypt the phone,” Felicity replied.

Oliver did a few more sets of workouts before grabbing a towel. “You get that phone decoded while I take a shower,” he told Felicity. “We need to figure out why Barrera was in town _tonight._ Otherwise his target is going to get someone else on his back.”

“And what if the target is a criminal too?” Felicity questioned.

“Then we'll deal with it,” Oliver winked before walking away. Before he turned, he caught the sight of Felicity's cheeks turning a little red and he had to admit to himself that he kind of, secretly of course, liked it.

-§-

Felicity turned back to her computer but turned to face Diggle when she sensed that his eyes still hadn't moved from her.

“May I help you with something, Mr. Diggle?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“If you can answer a question, maybe you could,” Diggle chuckled even though there was a hint of seriousness on his face.

“Yes?” Felicity inquired.

“Did Oliver just wink at you?” the older man wondered.

Felicity cleared her throat. “Yeah, uh, so?” Diggle shot her a look and she sighed. “We're friends, Dig... Or well, I'm assuming we are.”

“You've certainly changed around each other since you slept over at his place,” Diggle mused.

“Oh, come on, Dig,” Felicity snorted.

“I'm serious,” Diggle deadpanned. “Ever since I picked you both up at the mansion, Oliver has been nicer to you and you keep getting that twinkle in your eyes when you look at him!”

“Are you accusing us of something?” Felicity couldn't help but giggle. Diggle was being ridiculous. Sure, she and Oliver might have grown a bit closer since that night in the mansion and he _was_ being nicer to her, but from what Felicity understood, it was all about them finding common ground. He understood more about her now that she had shared a part of her story and she was thankful for the fact that he hadn't pushed her away.

She had begun to think that she would never get Oliver to truly trust her, but it seemed like all she had needed to be, was patient and honest with him. He had listened to her that night and they had connected on a deeper level than she believed she had ever connected with anyone before.

“Not accusing, merely pointing out,” Diggle smirked. “Although, I have to say that the change is nice. You both seem more relaxed and comfortable around each other.”

“And by that you mean that Oliver doesn't look like he wants to shove a stake in my heart every time I say something,” Felicity laughed.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Diggle chuckled. “I'm guessing that you, just like Oliver, won't tell me _why_ you slept over at his place?” Felicity played with the hem of her skirt, her foot tapping lightly against the floor of the Foundry. “Was your condition worse than we thought after Alonzo?” Diggle asked, suddenly serious again.

She looked up at him, seeing genuine concern in the older man's eyes, so she couldn't _not_ answer him. “I was fine, Dig,” she said calmly. “I didn't even drink the blood Oliver gave me... I think everything about that night just kind of blew up in our faces and we-” She cut herself off and shook her head. What was she even supposed to tell Diggle? It wasn't as if anything _huge_ had happened between her and Oliver that night, even though they all felt the change in both their relationship and their dynamic.

And by 'relationship' she clearly meant 'friendship'.

“We talked things over,” Felicity settled. “We sorted a few things out and I guess we kind of accepted that we're both a part of the same team.”

Diggle hummed and nodded thoughtfully, “That's good. It feels good to come down here and not have to worry about forcing the two of you off each other...” Felicity could feel her eyes widen at Diggle's statement and the man in question groaned. “I mean that it's nice to know that you're not trying to kill each other... Christ, is your rambling contagious?”

Felicity couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up in her throat and she giggled a little, but pretty soon her shoulders were shaking as she laughed out loud. Diggle joined her just as they both heard the bathroom door open. They looked over, still chuckling a bit, but when Felicity's eyes settled on Oliver's bare chest, still dripping from the shower while he wiped his face with a white towel, his dark jeans hanging dangerously low on his hips, her breath caught in her throat.

He looked over at her and Diggle with a confused look on his face, “What are you two laughing about?” His blue eyes seemed to be a thousand times bluer and Felicity found herself wondering how it was even possible for a man like him to have been created.

“Diggle just told me a funny story,” she said quickly, perhaps a little too quickly because she could smell the doubt coming off of Oliver's body. Doubt and something else that was so purely _Oliver_ that it made her stomach tighten in a weird, but kind of nice, way.

“Oh?” Oliver raised his eyebrow. “Mind telling me what it was about?”

“Oh, come on, Oliver,” Felicity smiled. “You don't really want to know.”

“It wasn't that funny anyway,” Diggle offered.

“Are the two of you ganging up on me behind my back?” Oliver frowned.

“Maybe,” Felicity teased lightly, meeting Oliver's eyes. They stared into hers for a moment before he looked down, a smile playing on his lips that made him look younger and more relaxed.

“How's the decrypting going?” he asked, effectively changing the subject.

“Slow,” Felicity shared. “Seems like whoever hired Barrera made sure that it would be difficult to get to them.”

“Do you think we'll learn something new tonight?” Oliver frowned.

“Well, since I'm staying here, I can always text you both if something important comes up,” Felicity shrugged. “You've had a long day, _both of you_. You should head home.”

Diggle nodded in agreement, “I'm all for that.”

“Mhm...” Oliver agreed, but his hand was kind of twitching. Felicity tilted her head and looked at him curiously. He was clearly thinking about something and whatever it was, it was bothering him.

At times Felicity wished that Oliver would just speak his mind. He had never had a problem with doing so before, when the two of them had (as Diggle had in a way put it) been all over each other. Since the two of them had become...friends, she had noticed that he kept a lot more inside, even if he on the other side was a bit more open with her when it came to showing affection.

“Is something wrong, Oliver?” she wondered and he shrugged before grabbing his shirt, pulling it on. Felicity ignored that feeling in her stomach when she watched his ripped muscles move with his motions and then focused on his face again.

“I've been thinking about you,” he said and Felicity swore that if she had had water or something else in her mouth she would have choked. “About you staying here in the Foundry, I mean,” Oliver quickly added when he got a side glance from Diggle who was gathering his own things.

“Oh?” Felicity inquired and Oliver nodded.

“I was thinking that after we deal with the Undertaking, maybe you can get an apartment or something of your own?” he said, his fingers playing with the edge of her desk. He wasn't looking at her anymore and she could swear that she could see a small blush on his face. “Until then though, I want you to be safe, which I guess means that you either stay here in the lair at night, or you come home with me... Or Diggle.”

Felicity stared at him, her mouth falling open a bit. Was he actually telling her that she should come and stay with him if she wanted to get out of the lair? And that he wanted her to be safe? When she had thought about wanting him to be more open with her, she never would have expected it to be in this particular way.

“I, uh... You thought about all of this in the shower?” she asked, instantly face palming herself mentally. “You know what I mean,” she mumbled when she saw the hint of a smile on Oliver's face.

“I've been thinking about it for a few days actually,” he confessed. “It's just a suggestion, since I know that you could use a change of scenery from time to time.”

“In that case,” Felicity nodded slowly, “I think it might be easier if I slept at John's place.”

Even a blind person would have been able to see the change on Oliver's face. The easy smile that had been there just a moment ago fell away and something akin to disappointment took it's place. Although, Felicity thought, it couldn't be, could it? Surely, Oliver understood why she wouldn't be able to come and sleep over at the mansion anymore. What would Thea say? Walter, Moira or anyone else who knew that Felicity was just supposed to be Oliver's E.A?

“I guess if Dig's fine with it,” Oliver said after a while, turning to Diggle who nodded.

“Sure, I've got the room,” the other man smiled at Felicity.

“But I can't tonight,” Felicity said. “I need to get this phone decoded and I have some other things to look up, and it won't be a regular thing, just a once every other week or so in case I need a change of scenery.”

“My door is always open for you, Felicity,” Diggle said and Felicity thanked him with a smile.

“I guess we'll go then,” Oliver said, looking back at Felicity. “Call me if anything comes up, okay?” He took a few steps toward her and rested his hand on her shoulder again, his face calmer than it had been a moment ago.

“Okay,” Felicity agreed.

Oliver squeezed her shoulder a bit before letting go. He got his jacket and his things and then he and Diggle walked out of the Foundry, leaving Felicity alone. The blonde hybrid leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply, frustrated at whatever it was that she was feeling on the inside. She didn't want to ruin whatever it was that she and Oliver had started; this friendship meant a lot to her and she wouldn't just throw it away. It was clear to her that she needed to be careful and not get too attached to Oliver. As a hybrid, all the things she would normally feel were heightened, at least during the first year of being one. She had gone through the same thing when she had been just a simple werewolf, but now it was at least ten times worse.

No, she needed to stay focused at the work they had in front of them and she absolutely couldn't get involved with Oliver in any unprofessional way. Their mission was way too important for her to screw things up like that.

-§-

It turned out that it was the Triad, a network of made vampires, lead by the lamia vampire China White, who had hired Barrera. Or at least, from what Felicity had been able to tell, the Triad was involved in some way. Felicity, Diggle and Oliver had been speculating for two days now about who they might have hired to finish the hit.

In the end, Felicity had shared that a security camera at an airport had picked up the face of Floyd Lawton, and they had all decided that it was too much of a coincidence to not be him. When Diggle had learned that Lawton was back in town, he had gone home to get his head together and Felicity and Oliver had shared another conversation about _who_ the hit was on. There were still parts of the phone that she was working on decrypting, but it was proving to be more difficult than they had initially though too, which meant that they still had no idea where to even start looking at potential targets.

Felicity suggested that she could seek out Lawton herself, since he hadn't wanted to hurt her despite the price on her head, but Oliver had told her sternly that she would be doing no such thing.

Since then the Felicity had angrily been ignoring him and Oliver really didn't understand _why_ she was doing so. They had been busy at Queen Consolidated too, which meant that he hadn't been able to get her alone to actually talk it over and get things between them sorted again.

“Mr. Queen,” Felicity said from the door between their offices. Oliver looked up at her, his eyes moving over her form as they usually did nowadays before meeting her gaze. “Mr. Merlyn is here to see you.”

“Please, Felicity,” Tommy smirked as he passed her in the doorway. “No need for formalities. We're all friends here, aren't we?”

Oliver stood from his seat, instantly putting the report that had been boring him to death away and stepped forward to embrace his friend. “Tommy? What are you doing here?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

“I came here to personally invite you to my father's benefit,” Tommy said. “I didn't want to go first, but Laurel insisted that I work on my relationship with him and all that... Either way, I would like for you to come and be there as mental support.”

“Mr. Queen is already invited to the benefit,” Felicity spoke up. “I was just looking at the invite on my tablet.”

Oliver looked over at her, but he could still see the slight coldness in her eyes. It was clear that she still wanted to try and get a hold of Lawton, despite Oliver telling her that there was no way to reason with the lamia vampire.

“Great, then you'll be there, right?” Tommy asked Oliver who kept looking at Felicity. “Or do you have too much work going on here...?”

Oliver knew that Tommy was still as curious as he had been since Thea had shared that she believed there was something going on between Oliver and Felicity, but his best friend understood when his questions weren't wanted.

“He can be there,” Felicity said firmly.

“That's wonderful!” Tommy exclaimed happily.

“ _Felicity_ ,” Oliver said. “Didn't we have that other thing to take care of?” he asked her cryptically and she shook her head.

“It's nothing that I can't handle,” she told him, a smug smile covering her face.

Was she really suggesting what he thought she was suggesting? That while he attended the benefit and Diggle worked his cover as his bodyguard, she would be going after Lawton like she had wanted to?

No way in hell.

“I do believe I have a plus one on that invite, don't I?” Oliver drawled, a smirk appearing on his face as he looked over at Felicity, completely forgetting for a moment that Tommy was there. “Would you like to accompany me, Felicity?”

Felicity's eyes widened visibly before she narrowed her eyes at him. He was clearly pissing her off, but he didn't really care at the moment. All he wanted was for her to be by his side so that he could keep an eye on her in case she decided to do something stupid. He was certain that it Diggle questioned him about it, the man would understand his reasoning.

“Oh, Thea would love having you there,” Tommy told Felicity. “The entire Queen family is going to be there, which includes Thea. I think she mentioned that she might be bringing that boyfriend of hers...”

“The guy who _stole_ her bag?” Oliver frowned.

“He gave it back,” Felicity and Tommy said at the same time before looking at each other, laughing.

“Come on, Felicity,” Tommy grinned. “You can't let Thea handle her overprotective big brother all by herself while her boyfriend is there? Isn't that against the girl code or something?”

Felicity side-eyed Oliver and then finally shrugged. “I suppose I can't,” she said. “I'll be your plus one,” she agreed. “And I'm wearing navy blue, so you better have a nice tie.” She shot Oliver a pointed look before walking out of his office.

Tommy whistled a little and then turned to Oliver grinning, “Aren't I the best wing-man ever? Thea is going to love this.”

Oliver rolled his eyes at his best friend before glancing over at Felicity. He was sure that the blonde had heart Tommy's comment due to her hybrid hearing. His thought was confirmed when he saw Felicity smirking down at her papers while clicking through a couple of files on her computer.

That benefit surely was looking more interesting in Oliver's eyes now.

-§-

There were _a lot_ of people in the building.

Oliver looked over the crowd as he waited for Felicity to arrive with Diggle since Oliver had just gotten a ride with his mother and the rest of his family. The kid that Thea was seeing, Roy, was the only thing that was entertaining Oliver at the moment. The young man seemed to be feeling out of place and nervous all the time and Oliver loved playing the part of disapproving older brother, even though Thea would punch him in the arm for it from time to time. His mother and Walter didn't seem to mind the kid though, and truth be told, neither did Oliver really, but it was fun to tease.

“Did your date stand you up?” Tommy asked as he and Laurel approached him. Oliver had been standing in the corner of the room, not wanting any unnecessary attention and some peace and quiet.

“She's on her way,” Oliver said, before adding: “And she's not my date.”

“She's your plus one, isn't she?” Laurel smiled. “That kind of does make her your date.”

“The two of you have been talking to Thea, haven't you?” Oliver groaned. “She hasn't shut up about me bringing Felicity to this benefit.”

“Yeah, she said something about this being like your third date or something,” Tommy said. “I think she counted her birthday party too since you spent most of your time with Felicity there.”

“I'm not going to respond to that,” Oliver told his friend, shaking his head while taking a sip from the champagne in his glass. Since he had returned from the Island, he hadn't been much of a drinker because he always needed to be alert and aware of his surroundings. Even tonight, he had told Diggle to take his Arrow suit with him in his trunk, just so that he could be sure that if anything happened and he needed to get out of there fast to deal with it, he would be ready.

“Hey,” someone behind him said, and he instantly turned around when he recognized the voice as Felicity's. He wasn't able to keep his eyes from traveling over the formfitting, navy blue dress that fell to her feet. There was a slit on the left side, which showed off one creamy, smooth leg that made his mouth go dry and his mind fill with highly inappropriate images of having said leg wrapped around his waist while he–

“Felicity, right?” Laurel's voice cut off his thoughts. Oliver watched as his ex-girlfriend held out her hand for Felicity to shake.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded. “You're Laurel... Gorgeous Laurel.”

“Excuse me?” Laurel laughed.

“I meant that you look gorgeous,” Felicity offered, brushing one of her loose locks behind her ear where an earring was dangling and glistening. “Sorry, I'm a bit awkward when it comes to social interaction,” Felicity sheepishly added. “Tommy,” she nodded curtly at Tommy who grinned at her.

“You look stunning, Felicity,” Tommy complimented her before turning to Oliver. “Doesn't she, Ollie?”

Oliver glared at Tommy before turning back to Felicity. He could see that she was still a little mad at him over the whole Lawton deal, but she seemed to be expecting an answer to Tommy's question either way. “Yeah,” Oliver cleared his throat. “You look beautiful.”

Felicity's mouth twitched a little and she looked down as a light blush crept up her face. It was clear that he had managed to break through her wall at least a little and he was glad for that. If he was going to be stuck here all night long, he wouldn't want to have to deal with an angry Felicity too. He liked her a lot better when the two of them were on good terms with each other.

“How about you and I get the ladies some refreshments, Oliver?” Tommy suggested.

Oliver looked at Felicity's hands, noticing for the first time that she didn't have a drink.

_'Of course she doesn't have a drink,'_ he thought. She had just arrived after all. He could see Diggle hovering in the background by the door, easily playing the part of the bodyguard.

“Yes, of course,” Oliver answered. “What would you like to drink, Felicity?”

“Some champagne would be nice,” she replied politely, but he could see that she deep down still wanted to punch him.

He nodded curtly and Tommy led him off toward the bar. “There should be more waiters circling around,” Tommy pointed out. “Weird...”

Oliver looked around, noticing indeed that there seemed to be a lack of staff members there at the benefit tonight. A frown covered his face and a chill went up his spine, making him instantly on alert.

Something was definitely off.

-§-

“Felicity!” Thea exclaimed, walking over toward Felicity and Laurel who had been engaged in a conversation about Laurel's work as a lawyer and her involvement in some of the bigger cases around town. Felicity turned her head in Thea's direction, smiling when she saw the younger girl dragging a guy behind her. “I'm so happy you're here,” Thea said, letting go of the kid's hand before throwing her arms around Felicity. “I would like for you to meet Roy,” Thea introduced, motioning to her date.

Felicity watched his curiously because he seemed to be _very_ uncomfortable and twitchy. “Hi, Roy,” she smiled softly, holding out her hand for him to shake. “I'm Felicity, Thea's friend.”

“And Oliver's date,” Thea added, nudging Laurel in the side as she winked suggestively at Felicity.

“Oliver's _plus one_ ,” Felicity corrected through gritted teeth. “That doesn't mean that this is a date.”

Roy looked between the three women confusedly as he shook Felicity's hand gently.

A current of something ran up Felicity's spine and instinctively she tightened her grip on Roy's hand, staring at him, her lips parting. Roy too seemed to have felt something because he stared a little at Felicity, clearly even more confused than he was before. She could feel his grip on her hand tighten a little as well before he promptly let go of her hand and took a step back, as if Felicity had just invaded his personal space. The action caused Felicity to wake out of the slight daze as her eyes moved over Roy, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“What did you say your name was again?” Felicity frowned.

“Roy, uh... Roy Harper,” the young man replied, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Right, the purse thief,” Felicity nodded before wincing. “I didn't mean that the way it came out. Sorry.”

Her slip caused Roy to relax a bit and he chuckled. “Thea has told me a bit about you,” he said.

“Only good things I hope,” Felicity joked, looking over at Thea who was watching them bemusedly.

“Well, I'm off to see where Tommy disappeared,” Laurel said. “He's been gone for a while now and it feels like he might have gotten lost or something... I'll send Oliver your way if I see him, Felicity.” The lawyer offered them all one last smile before walking away, her engagement ring glistening in the light of the room.

“Well, we're off too,” Thea said. “Sorry for leaving you like this, Felicity, but I'm sure that Oliver will be back soon. I need to get Roy on the dance floor before midnight, or else I'm losing a bet against Tommy.”

“I don't dance, Thea,” Roy said, looking embarrassed.

“Come on Roy,” Thea smiled. “Just one silly little slow dance and I'll be a hundred bucks richer if you manage not to step on my toes.”

Roy rolled his eyes but Felicity could see that the kid was ready to give in to his girlfriend's wishes. There seemed to be something about Thea that made one want to make her happy at all times.

“I'll see you both later,” Felicity told them before Thea dragged Roy away. She thought she would finally get some peace and quiet, so she brought out her phone to check how the decoding of Barrera's phone was going.

She had left it on in the Foundry, making sure to stay connected to it at all times since she was sure they would be able to figure out who the Triad's target was before the end of the night. Oliver had called Detective Lance and informed him that there was something happening and Lance had told him not to call back without an actual name to the target. Felicity was still a little mad at Oliver for not letting her look for Lawton by herself, but at the same time, she understood that he was just trying to keep her safe. Despite the fact that Lawton hadn't taken her out or captured her when he had found her all those months ago, it was still clear that the sniper was not to be trusted.

“ _Ms. Smoak_.”

Felicity looked up, immediately putting her phone away again. Malcolm Merlyn was standing in front of her, two glasses of champagne in his hands as he smiled charmingly at her, offering her one of the glasses.

“Mr. Merlyn,” Felicity acknowledged, politely taking the glass from him. “Congratulations on the award you'll be getting tonight.”

“Oh, that's nothing,” Malcolm said, his eyes twinkling with something that Felicity couldn't quite put a finger on. “Did Oliver leave you all alone here?”

“He went to get me something to drink since I arrived a little later,” Felicity replied. “Although, it seems like you beat him to it.”

Malcolm chuckled, eying her. “Still, he shouldn't have left you here all alone,” he said. “There's no telling who might come and sweep you off your feet while he's not here.”

Felicity chuckled uneasily, her grip on the champagne glass tightening slightly as she watched Tommy's father take a sip from his own champagne, still watching her intently. There was a bad feeling in her chest that only grew when she noticed that Malcolm was watching her glass, expecting her to drink from it. Offering him a small smile, she began bringing the flute to her lips, when she spotted Oliver walking rather hurriedly toward her from behind Merlyn.

“Felicity,” Oliver breathed, coming to stand next to her as she brought the champagne glass back down. He frowned at her glass and then looked at Malcolm, as if noticing first now that the man was standing there. “Mr. Merlyn,” he said, immediately shaking Malcolm's hand. “I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to steal my date away for a dance. I do believe that this is one of her favorite songs.”

Felicity listened to the song that was playing softly and nearly snorted, but she kept her face straight and smiled encouragingly at Oliver.

“So that's the hurry then,” Malcolm mused thoughtfully as Oliver took the champagne flute from Felicity and put it away at a table before taking Felicity's hand.

“Excuse us,” Oliver said before pulling Felicity with him. They walked to the corned of the dance floor and luckily, Felicity couldn't see neither Tommy nor Thea anywhere. She was sure the two of them would have had a field day with her and Oliver dancing again.

“I hate this song,” Felicity pointed out as Oliver took one of her hands in his, settling his other one on her waist as he slowly led their dance. Felicity's hand rested on his shoulder and he rolled his eyes at her before looking down to meet her eyes.

“I'm well aware of that,” he told her and she couldn't help but quirk a questioning eyebrow at him. He let out a low chuckle, the hand on her waist tightening a little before relaxing again, “You forget that I was in the Foundry when you had the radio playing classical music and you almost threw it against the wall when you sped to turn the channel once this song came on.”

A laugh escaped Felicity's lips as she recalled the event that had occurred about a week ago. “I can't believe you remembered the song,” she said.

“I always remember the things I can use to annoy you later on,” Oliver teased lightly, a smile forming on his own lips.

Felicity shook her head at him, “Oh, and by the way, when did we ever say that this was a date?” She was referring to the words he had said to Merlyn a little earlier.

Oliver winced a little, “Merlyn is old-fashioned...”

“With him being the owner of a multi-billion dollar company in America in the twenty-first century, I kind of find that hard to believe, Oliver,” Felicity said.

“Did it bother you that I told him you were my date?” Oliver asked then. Felicity met his gaze and shrugged.

“According to Thea, 'plus one' is just synonym to 'date' so I don't see why it should bother me,” she said dismissively. “But why are we dancing?”

“Why are you mad at me over the thing with Lawton?” Oliver countered.

“Did you get me to dance with you so that you could corner me and ask me that?” Felicity's eyes narrowed. By the look on Oliver's face, it was clear that that was the reason he had indeed asked for a dance. “I'm not mad at you, Oliver,” she finally sighed. “I just don't think you understand that you basically _forbidding_ me from trying to reach Lawton felt like you were...”

“That I was what?” he pressed, his tone surprisingly soft.

“It felt as if you were putting me in a _cage_ ,” she admitted, meeting his eyes again. She saw something similar to hurt flash in them and she instantly regretted saying anything or even thinking the thought. “I'm being ridiculous. I know that you would never actually lock me up,” she said, squeezing his shoulder lightly.

“I did though, didn't I? When you first joined me and Diggle? I didn't let you out of the Foundry for so long... I'm sorry for that,” he said, pulling her a bit closer.

“I don't blame you for being careful, Oliver,” Felicity told him. “We should just let it go and move on, okay?”

“Mhm...” he hummed in agreement. “Anything new from Barrera's phone? I have a weird feeling.”

“Nothing yet,” Felicity frowned. “Speaking of weird feelings... Malcolm Merlyn is officially freaking me out and I don't want to worry you, but Thea's boyfriend kind of _zinged_ me.”

Oliver stopped dancing abruptly and stared down at her. “Wait, one thing at a time,” he said, letting go of her. “Thea's boyfriend ' _zinged_ ' you? What's that supposed to mean?”

“Let's go somewhere private,” Felicity said, taking his hand without thinking as she led them toward an exit. She met Diggle's questioning gaze, but she shook his head, silently telling him that everything was fine for now. Diggle nodded curtly and the two of them walked out in the hallway where they were finally alone.

“Tell me what happened with Roy,” Oliver demanded instantly.

“Take it easy,” Felicity rolled her eyes at him. “It might not be anything, but I just got a feeling when I touched him.”

“ _Touched him_?”

“I shook his hand, Oliver!” Felicity exclaimed when she saw the look on the hunter's face. What was he even thinking? Why was he being this way? Acting as if he was...jealous or something.

“What did you feel?” Oliver wondered, a bit calmer now.

“Just a small current. Something familiar, I suppose,” she shrugged.

“Like supernaturally familiar?” Oliver frowned. “Is he a Dark One?”

“I'm not sure,” Felicity said. “All I know is that I felt _something_ , but I would need to get closer to actually figure out _what_ he is, if he's anything at all.”

“I knew there was something off with that kid,” Oliver growled, his hands balling up in fists. Felicity reached for one of his hands with hers and gently brushed her thumb against his knuckles, trying to get him to calm down. “There's nothing off with Roy, Oliver,” she told the hunter. “I didn't get a bad feeling. He seems to be a good guy.”

“Well, in my eyes, they're all evil until proven differently,” Oliver said, his eyebrows still creased together.

“Tell me about it,” Felicity rolled her eyes. “I know how long it took for you to accept me, but I'm hoping that if Roy really is something, you'll let me handle the situation.”

“Felicity...” Oliver looked like he didn't like the thought very much, but she took a small step toward him, tightening her grip on his hand.

“Please, Oliver,” she whispered. “If we go about this the wrong way, Thea could get hurt.”

Oliver looked away from her, his jaw clenched as he seemed to contemplate her words. She knew that she was right. It could all be a misunderstanding and in that case, they would have split Thea and Roy up for nothing. Either way, it would be better for Felicity to handle it and when Oliver looked back at her, she could tell that he was agreeing with her.

“Okay,” he said, his voice still low as he looked down at her. Their height difference was ridiculous, really, because she was wearing high-heels and he still had a good head on her. All of the sudden, Felicity realized just how close they were standing together and she forced herself to take a step back from him.

“What about Merlyn?” Oliver asked, his grip on her hand tightening, keeping her in place, close to him. Felicity found it a bit difficult to breathe properly when she gazed up into his eyes, but she swallowed it down before speaking.

“He's just creeping me out,” she admitted. “It felt like he had been watching me for a while before he approached me, and then I got the strangest feeling that he was trying to poison me.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows at her and looked at her skeptically. “You got the feeling that he was trying to _poison_ you?”

“I'm just telling you what it felt like, Oliver,” she sighed exasperatedly. “There's no need for you to make fun of me.” This time, when she let go of his hand and took a step back from him, he let her.

“I'm not making fun of you, Felicity,” he told her. “I just find it hard to believe that Malcolm Merlyn, my best friend's father, would try to poison my Executive Assistant.”

“Then I guess I must be paranoid,” Felicity deadpanned, just as her phone pinged. She looked down and took it out of her clutch and her eyes widened. “Oh my God...”

“What? What is it?” Oliver asked.

“I got the name of the target,” Felicity said, looking up at him. “It's Malcolm.”

-§-

Oliver didn't understand how things went to hell that quickly after Felicity's revelation of the target. He had immediately called up Detective Lance, disguised as the Arrow, and informed the man about Malcolm Merlyn being the target.

While Felicity had gone to fill in Diggle on the turn of events, Oliver had gone and changed into his Arrow suit only to be cornered by police officers who were trying to catch him. During Malcolm Merlyn's thank you speech, Felicity and Diggle had been in the room when the lights had gone out and Felicity had informed Oliver over the comm-links that the Triad was evidently making their move.

After Oliver managed to shake off the officers, he got to the building, engaging in a fight with the vampires while he ordered Diggle to get Felicity out, because he didn't want anyone to see the blonde hybrid and blow her cover as one of his team members. After killing the vampires, he had run after Malcolm and Tommy, who had disappeared up the stairs of the building according to Diggle and Felicity and he had found his best friend leaning over his father who had been shot several times in the chest.

Luckily, however, it seemed like Malcolm had been prepared for a potential attack and he had been wearing a bullet proof vest. Although soon, Malcolm began mumbling incoherently and Oliver stepped forward, still in disguise as the vigilante, telling Tommy to step back. Tommy had jumped, realizing that the hunter was in the room and then yelled at him to get away from both him and his father. Oliver had tried to desperately reason with Tommy, telling him that Malcolm had been poisoned by curare, Lawton's poison of choice, but Tommy wouldn't listen. Malcolm had been losing time and Oliver had had no other choice but to reveal himself to Tommy, taking off his hood as he showed his face beneath it.

Never in his life would he have expected to see such a look of disgust and hatred on his best friends face and it made Oliver feel absolutely horrible inside to receive it from him.

Nevertheless, his revelation to Tommy caused his best friend to spring into action and he allowed Oliver to hook him up on set with a make-shift blood-transfusion for Malcolm and Oliver proceeded to make his exit before the police show up with Detective Lance in a tow.

Two hours later, Oliver, Felicity and Diggle were down in the lair again. Felicity was still wearing her dress, but her high-heels were off and her hair was messier than it had been before.

“He hates me,” Oliver said, his glum voice surprising even himself.

“He doesn't hate you, Oliver,” Felicity tried to be encouraging. “Tommy's just in shock.”

“No, Felicity,” Oliver shook his head. “You didn't see the look on his face when I pulled the hood off. I have never seen him look at anyone like that...”

“He's just hurt, Oliver,” Diggle said calmly. “Although you could maybe have planned your reveal a bit better, considering that you've been the Arrow for two years now.”

“I didn't have a _choice_ ,” Oliver snapped. “His father was _dying_ and the only way to get him to trust me in that moment was to show him who I was!”

“We understand that, Oliver,” Felicity said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“He told me that I was a murderer when I saw him afterward,” Oliver said, looking up at her before running a hand through his hair frustratedly. “He doesn't know about the Dark Ones, so he thinks that I've been killing innocent people.”

“You should have told him the truth then,” Felicity said.

“He already hates me,” Oliver shook his head. “Tommy would never have believed me if I had tried to tell him the truth about the People of Darkness. He would have thought I was crazy too.”

“Oliver...” Diggle sighed, but Oliver simply shook his head.

“My best friend looked at me tonight and only saw a killer, Dig,” he said, standing up from the chair, shaking off Felicity's hand. “What if that's really what I am? What if I won't be able to stop once this is all over? What if I'm really crazy and just move on to killing humans?”

“Stop it, Oliver,” Felicity pleaded. “You would never hurt an innocent, we all know that.”

“We don't know what will be left of me once this is all over though,” he told her, pulling on his jacket. “I'm going home. I think I need a day or two to make sense of things and decide my next move...”

“Oliver, we'll handle this together,” Felicity said, taking a hold of his sleeve. “Please don't just walk away from us. Don't push us away now. We're a _team_.”

He looked down at her before slowly moving her hand away from him. “I just need some time alone, Felicity. I'm not walking away.”

“Then why does it feel like it?” she whispered back. “Tonight has shaken you, clearly, but you really shouldn't be alone.”

“I'll go home and spend some time with Thea then,” he told her. “I'll see you both tomorrow, but I don't think I can put on the hood for a few days at least... Good night.” He pulled away from her and walked up the stairs, his heart clenching painfully in his chest at the mere memory of having Tommy, his best friend, look at him with such hatred.

Then he recalled the hurt look on Felicity's face just a moment ago and felt a thousand times worse.

-§-

Felicity wasn't sure she was making the right choice, but she sure as hell wasn't just going to sit back in the lair and think about the broken look on Oliver's face when he had told her and Diggle about Tommy's reaction to him being the Arrow.

Diggle had tried to talk her out of it, uncertain of what Oliver's reaction would be when he found out what she had done, although nothing he had said had made Felicity change her mind.

She got into the elevator and pressed the button to the penthouse she had checked the address for before she had gotten into her mini, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently. The ride up was going to slow and she regretted not taking the stairs and just speeding up instead. When she got to the top floor, she walked confidently to the front door of the apartment before knocking and ringing the door bell.

She was one hundred percent sure that he was there, mostly because he had tracked his phone and made sure that he was. There was a loud bang on the other side and some cursing followed before she finally heard someone walking toward the door. She rang the bell again, purely to put some stress into him and when the door opened, she was met by an angry looking Tommy.

“What?” he snapped and it took him a moment to recognize her. She was sure she looked at least a little more composed than he did at the moment. His hair was disheveled and there was a frown on his face that she had never seen before. “Felicity?” he asked, finally recognizing her. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk,” she explained. “May I come in?”

“I, uh... Laurel isn't here. She's back at our place...” he trailed off.

“I came to talk to you, Tommy,” Felicity said. “It's about Oliver.”

Hurt flashed in Tommy's eyes and a second later, it seemed to have been replaced by anger that was reeking off of him. “What about Oliver?” he asked. “If you haven't noticed, he's the last think on my mind considering that there was an assassination attempt on my father tonight.”

“I know, Tommy,” Felicity said pointedly.

“Then you understand that I really don't feel like talking,” Tommy said, beginning to shut the door in her face, but Felicity stopped him by putting her foot in the doorway.

“I know about Oliver, Tommy,” Felicity clarified. She saw him pause and look at her curiously before opening the door to let her in wordlessly. She nodded at him gratefully and stepped inside.

Tommy closed the door behind her and locked it before walking over to the living room, running his hands through his hair. “I'm sorry for being rude,” he said apologetically. “Everything that happened tonight really messed with my head.”

“You should try and get your head together then,” Felicity told him, sitting down on the couch that he had clearly been laying in before if the blanket on it was any indication. “Oliver has gotten it in his head that you hate him now.”

“I don't know _what_ I feel about what I've learned tonight,” Tommy shot her a look. “All I know is that I feel everything I've known about him is a lie. He's a killer, Felicity.” Felicity kept looking at him, her face completely impassive, causing him to frown. “How long have you known exactly?” he then asked her. “Has he threatened you or something? To keep his secret?”

“Oliver has never made any threats to me,” Felicity said, but then shrugged. “At least not recently. Besides, his threats were justified before.”

“How can you be so calm about all of this?” Tommy stared at her. “Did Oliver send you here to talk to me?”

“He doesn't know I'm here,” Felicity said, still as calm as ever. If she wanted her plan to work, she needed to make Tommy understand; she needed to tell him the entire story.

“I can't believe that Oliver is the vigilante,” Tommy said, sitting down on he armchair in front of Felicity. “He's a murderer.”

Felicity leaned forward a bit, looking him dead in the eyes, “Is that really what you think about your best friend, or are you just hurt that he didn't tell you sooner?”

Tommy looked at her and glared, “I don't even know him anymore.”

Felicity shook her head. “Oliver is still a good man, Tommy,” she told him. “He's still your best friend and you shouldn't doubt that. What Oliver has been doing is justified. You don't know the whole truth.”

“He's _killing_ people, Felicity!” Tommy exclaimed, standing up from his seat. “He's killing them in cold blood and has been doing so for two years now! He's clearly all messed up in the head after what he went through on the Island!”

“Oliver isn't a murderer!” Felicity said, standing up herself. “He isn't killing _people_ , he's killing _Dark Ones!_ ” she hissed.

Tommy stared at her blankly. “What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded to know.

“There's a secret society of sorts,” Felicity began explaining. “It's an underground network of supernatural beings that call themselves the People of Darkness. Oliver is what they refer to as _a hunter_ , which is a person who hunts and kills these creatures that no one even knows exists.”

Tommy's mouth dropped open, “You're _crazy_. You're just as nuts as he is!”

“I'm not,” Felicity said, suppressing a chuckle that threatened to make its way out of her mouth. “I am _not_ crazy and neither is Oliver. The _things_ he hunts are monsters, Tommy. The police force in Starling City is corrupt, as are the people ruling the city, including the Mayor. They cover the truth up and make it seem like the vigilante is killing innocent people when he's really _protecting_ them.”

“No,” Tommy shook his head. “There's no way. You're making all of this up to try and convince me that Oliver isn't crazy. You should go.”

“I'm not leaving here until I make you see the truth,” Felicity narrowed her eyes.

“Well, you really are insane if you think I'll buy all that shit,” Tommy shot at her. “Get the hell out of my house.”

Calmly, Felicity took off her coat, never taking her eyes off of Tommy. “I really didn't want to do this, but you're giving me no choice,” she told him.

“What the hell are you– _Ah!_ ” Tommy screamed when Felicity sped forward at an inhuman speed. In less than a second, she had him pinned to the wall on the opposite side of the room, her hand around his throat as she lifted him slightly from the floor, eyes glowing yellow and fangs bared.

“Oh my God,” Tommy stared with wide eyes. “Oh God, oh God...”

“I'm telling you the _truth_ ,” Felicity repeated. “The People of Darkness are the bad ones here, Tommy, _not_ Oliver.” Slowly, she lowered him back to the floor, closing her eyes, willing her fangs back in. She hadn't wanted to resort to this, but there had been no other way of showing him that she wasn't lying.

“What are you?” Tommy asked, his voice shaky as he kept staring at Felicity.

“I'm a hybrid,” she answered. “A combination of werewolf and vampire, but originally a wolf... It's a bit confusing but I can explain it to you another time.”

Tommy slid to the floor and sat down, leaning back against the wall. “Oh my God... If you are... Does that mean that-? I mean, is Oliver really just killing-? Fuck, none of this makes any sense,” Tommy swore, burying his face in his hands.

Felicity slowly sat down next to him on the floor and Tommy flinched. “I'm not going to hurt you, Tommy. I like to consider myself one of the good ones,” she joked. “I even managed to convince Oliver who was the ultimate hater that I am, and if anything, that means a lot.”

Tommy looked at her and Felicity inhaled, trying to get a read on him. There was still a hint of fear in the air, but it was quickly being replaced by confusion.

“How can you be so normal, if you're...?” Once again he trailed off, not finding words.

“A monster?” Felicity suggested with a snort. “I held on to my humanity, Tommy. Most born werewolves do which makes us more human.”

“But you said you were a... _hybrid_ , was it?” Tommy frowned.

“I was turned into one against my will,” Felicity explained. “We should just leave it at that for now.”

They sat in silence and Felicity waited for him to say something else. It was clear that he needed to work through what she had just revealed to him but deep down Felicity hoped that it would make him see that Oliver wasn't a murderer, but actually a _protector._

“This is all so weird,” Tommy mumbled after a while. “It feels like my entire life has been a lie.”

“Hardly any humans actually know that this world exists,” Felicity said. “The ones who do believe in it though are considered crazy.”

“So what do you do then?” Tommy asked. “Oliver dresses up as Robin Hood, but where do you fit in in all of this, if he supposedly hunts your kind?”

“There's something big going on in the city,” Felicity explained. “I contacted Oliver in hopes of stopping whatever it is that the Dark Ones have planned. We've been working together for months now trying to figure it out and stop it before it happens... Actually, I don't think it's such a good idea for me to tell you this since I don't want you to freak out,” she said thoughtfully.

“You tell me that monsters are real and don't want me to freak out?” Tommy choked out. “Are you for real?”

“I just wanted you to know that Oliver isn't the bad guy here,” Felicity said. “You should talk to him when you're ready and maybe he can fill in the gaps better than me...”

“You're not going to kill me for knowing the truth?” Tommy asked once they both got up from the floor. He seemed to be a little more put together now but Felicity shot him an incredulous look. “Sorry,” he held up his hands in surrender, “I just had to check.”

“No one is going to hurt you or the people you care about,” Felicity said. “Oliver is doing everything to make this city safe for you all. The Dark Ones are scared of him... He's making a difference.”

Tommy sighed deeply, looking at her. “You really trust him, do you?” he asked.

“Of course I do,” Felicity replied. “He's literally putting his life on the line every time he puts on that hood, even though at least ninety percent of the people in this city think he's villain.”

“Heroes and villains...” Tommy mumbled. “So he hasn't killed humans?”

“Perhaps he has, once or twice,” Felicity admitted and Tommy flinched again. “But maybe you should talk to him about it. He had to do a lot of things to survive those five years that he was away and I think that he would be willing to talk about it more openly now that you know the truth.”

“And you? Have you killed?” Tommy asked.

“No,” she replied as she grabbed her coat again and put it on.

“Would you?” Tommy pressed. “For Oliver?”

Felicity froze briefly, her hand hovering over one of the buttons on her coat. Would she kill for Oliver? Would she throw away her spotless record as a hybrid, years of learning how to control her wolf form, all for the one man that she may have started to feel something more for?

“I will always be grateful to Oliver for accepting me into his team,” she replied slowly, closing up the last button on her coat.

“Team? How many of you are... Wait, don't tell me,” Tommy said. “His bodyguard is in on it too, isn't he?” Felicity nodded curtly, not knowing just how much she should give away, but she had already said so much that she figured that Diggle's involvement in all of this wouldn't be kept secret for long anyway.

“I need alcohol,” Tommy groaned, running a hand through his hair again. “God, and I can't tell Laurel any of this, can I?” Felicity shook her head. “This is so messed up.”

“All you have to remember here is that Oliver isn't your enemy,” Felicity said. “He's protecting Starling City and he's going to need to know that you _don't_ hate him.”

“How do you know what I feel?” Tommy challenged. “Maybe this doesn't change anything.”

“I can _smell_ it on you,” Felicity replied. “I can _sense_ that there's a change in you when you say his name compared to when I first got here. You won't tell anyone about this and if my guess is correct, you're going to call up Oliver first thing tomorrow morning and have him come over so that you can talk things through.”

“That sounded a lot more like an order than a guess,” Tommy told her and she smirked at him.

“Well, I guess it's in my nature to be a little bossy from time to time,” she shrugged. “You have a good night, Mr. Merlyn. I expect to see a smile on Oliver's face before the end of the day tomorrow, or else I might visit you again before the day is over.”

Tommy's mouth dropped open, “You told me you didn't kill!”

“Who said anything about killing?” Felicity winked. “I'll probably just keep nagging at you until you stop being stubborn. Just ask Oliver, I'm a very patient woman.”

With those words she stepped out of his penthouse and walked off. Hopefully, her revealing the truth to Tommy about the People of Darkness wouldn't backfire on her and the team, but Felicity knew that there had been no choice to make. If Tommy had continued to be angry at Oliver, Oliver wouldn't have been able to get his head in the hunt and focus on their mission and he would probably have ended up dead. There was no way in hell that Felicity had been about to let anything bad happen to Oliver, if she could prevent it, ever again.

The realization of that as well as Tommy's question from earlier echoed in her mind all the way back to the Foundry.

_Would she kill for Oliver?_

The answer felt so obvious, because she knew it in her heart, although Felicity pushed the thoughts away and buried the things she felt deep down, hoping that she would never have to resolve to making the choice, knowing very well, that it would be the easiest choice she ever made.

And knowing that, scared her more than anything had ever scared before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooookaaaay! So now Tommy knows! And Felicity went and revealed the who truth to him about the Dark Ones! What did you think of the chapter? :)
> 
> Now, my second announcement is that while I may not post anything on this particular story for a month, I might be able to finish that five-part companion piece to "A Life Without You" which was the alternative ending for "Crumbled Papers"... It would be angsty as hell though, but would you guys like for me to post that once I finish it? :)
> 
> Thank you so much for all the support and again, I really hope you understand my need for a break. School sucks, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
> 
> I love you all! xx  
> P.S. What did you think about the Roy thing? The explanation to that one will be coming in the next chapter...


	14. The Street Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new vigilante appears in Starling City, kidnapping Dark Ones and sending out videos of him executing them for making him the monster that he is. Felicity begins to doubt herself and her abilities when she fails to locate him before he kills the corrupt D.A. and she and Oliver's relationship takes a step forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am so, so sorry for taking so long to write and post this chapter, but I swear, even though I had it all planned out, it just didn't want to be written. I needed to take some time off of this story because that it's kind of massive in it's own way, so I jumped to another fandom and wrote a story there for a while. It's been good taking a break, but now I'm back with a new chapter, FINALLY!
> 
> This one is kind of a set up for a future chapter as well as a way for Oliver and Felicity's relationship to start moving forward. There aren't that many chapters left until the Undertaking, but the story is far from finished as it will have 31 chapters in total! ;) I'm very busy with school at the moment though, but I'll do my best to get another chapter out within the next two weeks.
> 
> Oh, and while I was taking some time off, I decided that there will be some smut in this story, which is why I've changed the rating to M. It won't be anything too explicit, and I'll put up a warning in the author's note in the beginning of the chapter, but for now, you don't have to worry! :)
> 
> Thank you so much for being patient with me and for letting me clear my head! Now, please enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> P.S. It's kind of late and I didn't have time to spell check it, but I hope it's okay! Ignore any typos, okay? ;)

**Hunted**

 

_Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with._

* * *

 **Chapter** **1** **4: The Street Kid**

* * *

 

Felicity was tapping her fingers against her desk, her chin popped up on her other hand as she half-leaned against the table with her elbow. Oliver's eyes flickered from her, to Diggle who was standing by his weapons arsenal before finally landing on Tommy who was looking around the Foundry in wonder.

After a lot of discussion, Felicity had convinced both Oliver and Diggle that it was best to let Tommy in on their secrets, so that his friend could see that he really could trust him. She had argued that they needed to start being more honest with the people they knew for sure that they could trust and made a point of telling Oliver that Tommy hadn't once threatened to actually go to the police with the fact that Oliver was the Arrow.

Two weeks had passed since Tommy had found out about Oliver being the vigilante that the police was looking for; two weeks since Felicity had gone to Tommy's old bachelor pad, without Oliver's permission, and told his best friend the truth about the People of Darkness.

“This explains so much,” Tommy finally said, looking over at Oliver, who shifted from one foot to the other. “I just can't believe that you've managed to hide it from me for two years.”

“Oliver isn't very good at hiding things,” Felicity stated, “so it's kind of a miracle that you didn't catch on. Although, maybe that's just with me?” Oliver shot her a glare at that and she winced, “Sorry.”

She heard Diggle chuckle at her tiny remark but Tommy didn't look fazed. “As I said, it explains why Oliver's been so damn protective of you,” he told her.

“I haven't been-”

“He's not been-”

Felicity stopped talking and looked over at Oliver, who was looking anywhere but at her, glaring his best friend down. “It was never about protecting her-” Oliver began but then cut himself off, shaking his head.

“It was about protecting others _from_ me,” Felicity spoke up, taking a few steps forward. She looked over at Oliver again and he met her gaze, “But it's okay now, because we've established that I'm not going to kill anyone any time soon.”

Tommy looked at them both before turning to Diggle, “How could I have missed all this? How could I not know that this entire... _Dark World_ existed until Felicity showed up at my doorstep and literally bared her fangs at me?”

“Hey,” Diggle shrugged, “I was completely in the dark too until Oliver filled me in.”

“Tommy, I don't want to be rude or anything, but what are you doing down here?” Oliver asked then. He was suited up and ready to go out on a hunt when Tommy had given him a call and told him to let him into the lair.

“I invited him,” Felicity confessed. “I thought it would be good for him to see how this whole operation works.”

Oliver turned to her and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “I don't want him to be involved in any of this, Felicity,” he told her and Felicity suppressed the urge to just roll her eyes at him.

“Well, I think it would give him a better idea of what we actually do,” Felicity stubbornly said. “It's better than having him think that you just run around in your _very tight_ suit and shoot arrows at monsters, isn't it?”

“And to be honest, I'm kind of curious,” Tommy added. “Felicity has tried to explain how it all works and what kind of things there are out there, but I want to see it first hand, what you do.”

“If anyone knew that you have been in contact with the Hood-”

“I thought you changed his name to the Arrow?” Tommy wondered, looking at Felicity confusedly while interrupting Oliver who glared them both down.

“I did, but it takes some time for him to catch on,” Felicity shrugged. “I swear, he's like the CNN that way...”

“Oh _God_ ,” Oliver sighed, shaking his head before zipping up his jacket. “Run the case by me again, Felicity. _Please_.”

Felicity grinned at him and then motioned for Tommy to follow her. She wanted to show him her own area of expertise so that maybe she could teach him something too. If he actually got involved in all of this, she might have someone who could stay with her whenever Oliver and Diggle both needed to go out for the hunt and she wouldn't have to be down in the Foundry all alone. Besides, she had always wondered what it would be like to have her own minion.

Not that she _wanted_ a minion, because in her mind, that could actually be accounted for as slavery in one way and she was by no chance a slave-driver. Although, on second thought, it would be nice to have someone at least run errands on her behalf, like, getting her tablet from her bag so that she wouldn't actually have to get up and get it herself. Having a billionaire do that for her would make the whole thing that much more interesting and-

“Felicity, the case?” Oliver groaned exasperatedly, shaking her out of her thoughts.

“Right, sorry! The case,” she said quickly, her fingers flying over her keyboard. “You can bring a chair and come and look, Tommy. I won't bite,” she teased, sensing in the air how the atmosphere in the room was changing. Her open behavior with Tommy was bothering _someone_ in the room and she would place a fortune on that someone being Oliver. He still didn't appear to be comfortable with the idea of Tommy knowing about the Dark Ones, but Felicity knew that in the long run, this would only serve to make them closer than before. If Oliver kept up with the secrecy, he would eventually lose everyone he loved and Felicity didn't want that for him.

“This is John Nickel,” Felicity started, bringing out a picture on the bigger screen. “He's a blood wolf that has been wrecking havoc in the Glades, prowling on women who don't know any better than to watch out for men who have glowing eyes and bloody teeth.” She made a clicking noise with her tongue and scrunched up her nose in disgust. “He also isn't very attractive, so I have no clue whatsoever how he's managed to kill so many of them up until now.”

“Blood wolf? Those were the rabid ones, right?” Tommy asked and Felicity nodded.

“Golden star for you, Thomas!” she clapped her hands together, but stopped when Oliver shot her another disapproving look.

“ _Focus_ , Felicity,” John warned as he took as step toward them, but Felicity only smiled.

“Either way, we've caught sight of him near the harbor,” Felicity explained. “Which is why the _Arrow_ is going to go and hunt him down.”

“And you'll be monitoring from here?” Tommy asked.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded. “You, me and Diggle, actually, so I suggest you get comfortable, because it's going to be a long night.”

“I run Oliver's nightclub, Felicity,” Tommy pointed out. “I think I can handle a late night watching my best friend hunting werewolves with a bow and some arrows.”

“ _Special made_ arrows,” Oliver muttered, so low that Felicity was sure that she was the only one who had actually heard him. It brought another smile to her face. “I'm going out,” Oliver said, pulling his hood over his head. “Keep an eye on Nickel so that he doesn't leave the harbor. I'll take the bike.”

“You sure you don't need backup?” Diggle asked but Oliver only nodded.

“I'll be back soon,” he said, meeting Felicity's eyes. She felt her heart beat just a little bit faster as he gave her a curt nod, as if to reassure her that he really would be back.

When Oliver left, Tommy turned around to look at Felicity. “So, are you guys always like that?” he asked, making her frown.

“Always like what?” Felicity frowned but Tommy just shook his head and turned to look at Diggle instead.

“Are they always like that?” he repeated the question to Diggle, who merely snorted.

“Man, you have no idea,” Diggle shook his head. Felicity looked between the two of them, wondering what they were talking about.

Half an hour later, Oliver had reached the harbor, but he had been too late. Felicity had furiously switched from one security camera to the next, but there was no sign of John Nickel anywhere. The last time he had been caught on tape though, the blood wolf had been drugged by someone and dragged off behind a container. Oliver followed the trail on Felicity's instructions, but the only thing he had found, had been darkened asphalt, stained with blood, and Nickel’s hat, drenched in blood as well.

-§-

Oliver walked into the Foundry, pulling off his hood.

“Who took him?” he asked Felicity, who was tapping furiously on her keyboard, trying to get a look through every possible angle. Tommy and Diggle were both standing with their arms crossed as they watched the blonde work, a frown etched on both of their faces.

“I can't get a good look at him, but it's _clearly_ a man who knows about the dark ones,” Felicity said, showing a video of someone using a bat to hit Nickel on his head. “A hit to the head and then injected him with something, most likely wolfsbane to knock him out properly before tying his hands. It's not a full moon yet so that should have been enough to hold even the strongest blood wolf.”

“We have to find him,” Oliver stated.

“Wait,” Tommy frowned. “An hour ago you were set on going out there to kill this guy, monster, _whatever_. Now when someone else has taken care of it for you, you want to find him?”

“I don't like the idea of someone else hunting Dark Ones,” Oliver confessed. “The person was sloppy, leaving behind a trail of evidence. If anyone analyzed that blood, they would see that there's something different with the person, which would only raise more questions.”

“But wouldn't that be a good thing?” Tommy countered. “Letting people know that these _things_ exist?” His best friend turned to Felicity, “No offense.”

“None taken,” Felicity replied, but she did look a little bit offended if Oliver was reading her expression correctly, which he usually was. “Although, I have to say that not all of us are bad. I know both bellua shapeshifters and pack wolves who are harmless.”

Tommy looked at her like he wanted to ask what that exactly meant, but Oliver shook his head. “The supernatural 101 lessons can wait until later. We have to find Nickel,” he told Felicity.

“I'll run facial recognition through every camera in Starling City and the surrounding small towns. If he's anywhere in this area, we'll find him, but it might take some time,” she told him sheepishly.

“What are we supposed to do in the mean time?” Tommy asked.

“Well, _sleep_ would be nice, wouldn't it?” Felicity offered lightly. Oliver looked over at her and she gave him one of her looks. “You, Mr. Queen are going to get some sleep before you fall over,” Felicity told him, her voice getting sterner. “We'll find Nickel tomorrow, but for now, there's nothing else you can do.”

“I can patrol the city,” Oliver said, but Felicity stood up and sped forward so quickly that Tommy actually let out a gasp when she sent papers flying everywhere.

“You're going to go home, and get to bed, before I take you there and get you there myself,” she told him before wincing. Oliver looked down at her, noticing how her cheeks colored with a faint pink, making her look tantalizing. His eyes flickered down to her hand, which was resting over his chest, before moving up to her pink colored lips for a brief moment.

He heard Tommy snicker and looked up, noticing that his best friend was trying his best not to actually laugh.

“I always pick the best way of phrasing things, don't I?” Felicity asked.

Oliver looked down at her again and couldn't help the way the corner of his mouth twitched. “Yeah,” he drawled, “you do.”

Felicity's own lips quirked up at that and he lifted his hand to where hers was, squeezing it where it lay over his heart. The two of them were friends now, or at least that was what Oliver guessed that they were, so there was no reason for him not to be kind to her... And friends held hands sometimes, didn't they?

“Are they _really_ always like that?” Tommy asked somewhere behind him, but to Oliver it sounded distant as he continued to look at Felicity.

“I told you you had no idea,” Diggle replied, as he snorted and Oliver was pretty sure that his friend shook his head, but he couldn't find himself caring since he had other things on his mind.

-§-

Oliver sighed loudly as he stared at the report in front of him. The numbers had stopped making any sense to him about half an hour ago, but he knew that he needed to get through them before the next board meeting where he would be accompanying Walter after a few weeks of not attending at all. His mother had been quite stern earlier that morning when she had told him that people in the company were beginning to question whether or not he should be the one to take over after Walter, and Oliver honestly hadn't had it in him to tell her that he didn't even know whether he would be alive the next day due to his extracurricular activities as the city's protector.

There was a light knock on the door and Oliver looked up, only to see Felicity standing there, leaving against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest. “How is it going in here?” she asked him, a smirk playing on her lips as her fake glasses slid down her nose. Oliver swallowed thickly as he watched her adjust them, trying to tell himself that the look she was giving him didn't have any kind of effect on him whatsoever, even though he was pretty sure that she could hear his hear beat racing.

“Slowly,” he admitted. “I just can't seem to get my head straight at all today.” He dropped the report on the table and leaned back in his chair. “Any luck with Nickel?” he wondered then as he watched her when she approached him, moving as smoothly across the floor as she always did, her high heels clicking as she did.

“No, not yet,” she sighed, rounding his table. She sat at the edge of it and frowned down at the many papers that were spread out on his desk. “You know, you should really start organizing your things better,” she stated.

“Well, maybe I should hire an assistant that does it for me?” Oliver said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Please,” Felicity snorted. “We both know that organizing your desk was never in my job description. Although, I wouldn't mind if you got _me_ an assistant. Even Tommy says that you make me work too hard... And I think he meant it in an appropriate way,” she mused.

Oliver looked at her, clenching his jaw as he tried not to imagine all the ways he could make her work hard, but then frowned. “You and Tommy have been talking a lot these last few days, haven't you?” he asked.

“Are you _jealou_ s _,_ Mr. Queen?” Felicity grinned at him.

“No,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at her, but he knew that it wasn't really true.

“Don't worry, Oliver,” Felicity laughed. “I'm not going to steal your best friend away from you.”

“I'm more worried about losing-”

Oliver cut himself off abruptly, staring at Felicity who blinked down at him curiously. He wondered whether she had known what he had been thinking about; how he had almost said that he was more worried about Tommy stealing _her_ away from him now that they're clearly becoming friends too. He swallowed thickly and shook his head, “Never mind.”

Felicity watched him for another moment before shrugging, “I'm going back to the Foundry soon. Diggle told me to tell you to let go of your work and get ready because he's taking you out to Big Belly Burger.”

“He did?” Oliver frowned. “When?”

“He called earlier,” Felicity replied. “I tried to wave at you and connect the call but you were all focused on your work that I didn't want to disturb you.”

Oliver sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers, “My head is killing me.”

“Which is why you need to go out with Diggle and maybe relax a bit,” Felicity smiled. “I'll try and locate Nickel as soon as I get out of work and then-”

“Oliver, Felicity!”

Oliver turned toward the door only to see his mother standing there, looking at the two of them curiously. He sensed how Felicity took a small step back from him, coldness instantly rushing over him when she wasn't close anymore.

“Mom,” he said with a nod. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, yes,” Moira nodded, looking from Felicity to Oliver and back again. “Everything is fine,” she smiled. “I just wanted to come and check on you to see how everything is going.”

“Oliver was just giving me his final notes to take to the copy room,” Felicity said quickly. She turned and looked at him from under her lashes. “He's been very busy writing them all day, and he hoped that everyone will appreciate his input in the meeting.”

He almost grinned at her when he realized that she was telling him that she had done his work for him- _again_.

“Oh, that sounds absolutely wonderful, Felicity,” Moira said, nodding at the blonde who turned her eyes back to Oliver briefly before smiling back at his mother. “Well, then, I suppose I'll leave you two to go back to your work then. I'll see you later tonight, Oliver. Have a nice day, Felicity.”

With those words, his mother turned on her heel and walked out of the office. Oliver could pretty much sense Felicity's uneasiness.

“Okay, is it just me, or did your mother just treat me like a normal human being again?” she asked him, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, she did,” Oliver confirmed with a nod.

“It's weird,” Felicity noted and this time, Oliver just hummed in reply. Felicity bit her lip and looked as if she wanted to say something else, but refrained from it. Oliver was almost certain that it would be brought back up eventually though since he figured that Felicity would only need some time to get her thoughts together before she came forward with them.

“Thanks for finishing up my notes,” he said, bringing her back out of her deep thoughts. She turned to him and once again smiled, but this time, it didn't seem to quite reach her eyes like it usually did.

“What else is an assistant supposed to do?” she asked, sounding a bit sad. She looked down and shifted on her feet. “I should go and you should call Diggle. I'll call you guys if something turns up on Nickel.”

“What about Tommy? Is he going to be in the lair tonight?” Oliver wondered, but Felicity shook her head.

“No, he mentioned something about too much drama already going on around him,” she said. “Apparently Laurel's mom showed up and she thinks that Laurel's sister is still alive.”

Oliver froze, his eyes connecting with Felicity's as he tried to keep his face impassive. “Sara?”

“Yeah,” Felicity nodded. “But she can't be, right? I mean, I know it's probably painful for you to talk about, but she isn't, is she?”

He could hear it in Felicity's tone, that she didn't want to pressure him or anything, but Sara had always been a touchy subject for him. Back on Lian Yu, he had found her again after a year and then she had died again; washed away and dragged into the ocean, just like the first time. It was his fault that Laurel would never again see her sister smiling and he would always blame himself for being a jackass, taking Sara with him on that boat trip.

“Yeah,” he finally drawled. “She's dead.”

A beat passed before Felicity spoke, “I'm sorry, Oliver.”

He shook his head looking at her again when he felt her hand on his shoulder. “It's okay,” he swallowed. “It was a long time ago.”

Felicity shifted a bit closer then and he felt how his heart jumped in his chest for a second before he got himself under control again. He knew that she could hear his heart beat due to her magnified hearing and he didn't want to embarrass himself by revealing the effect she had on him.

“I'm still sorry that you had to go through all that, Oliver,” Felicity whispered. “You deserve so much better.” Then, she took a step back, her eyes lingering on him for another moment before she finally walked away, looking back once over her shoulder, without saying a word.

Somehow though, Oliver felt as if her silence spoke louder than anything she had ever said before.

-§-

Everything was fine at lunch with Diggle. For the first time in a long time, Oliver relaxed and talked about something other than work and he couldn't help but feel like Felicity had been right about him needing to relax more. It was all going well until Felicity called, telling him to turn on his phone because there was a live video being sent out to everyone in the Glades.

When the video popped up on his screen, Oliver was shocked to see the blood wolf John Nickel tied up in a chair, someone filming him and asking questions, calling himself the Savior.

“ _It's people like John Nickel who have made me into what I am today_ ,” the man spoke into the camera. “ _I never wanted this! But_ They _will all get what they deserve! These_ monsters _will get what's coming for them if I have anything to say about it!_ ”

“Felicity, get a location, _now,_ ” Oliver hissed into his phone, looking at the video through Diggle's phone instead.

“ _I'm trying, but I don't know-_ ”

She was cut off by a shot ringing out. Oliver looked down at Diggle's phone, seeing Nickel's head slumping forward, a bullet hole in his forehead, blood trailing from the wound. He heard Felicity gasp in his ear and he closed his eyes, turning to Diggle, motioning for him to get up so they could get to the Foundry.

“We'll be there soon, Felicity,” Oliver said, but she didn't reply. He listened to her breathing for a moment before she finally hung up on the phone and he sighed deeply, pocketing his phone again. He looked over at Diggle, who seemed concerned and shook his head as they both headed for the car.

Half an hour later, they walked down into the Foundry and found Felicity sitting on her chair, tapping away furiously at her keyboard. Oliver exchanged a look with Diggle before approaching her, but before he had the chance to say anything, she turned around and held up her hands.

“I'm not upset over Nickel,” she said quickly, “but I think we can all agree that we need to find this self-named _Savior_.”

“Yeah,” Diggle nodded. “By the way he was talking, it was kind of obvious that he knows that something is up with the People of Darkness.”

“We can't have him walking around spreading the word about these things existing,” Oliver agreed. “It would make people panic and then the Dark Ones would be free to come out however they want.”

“I don't think it was just about him _knowing_ about the Dark Ones,” Felicity said, turning back to her computer, bringing up a screen shot she had made. “Look at his eyes,” she said, pointing at the screen. Oliver and Diggle leaned a bit closer, looking at the frame. Felicity had somehow zoomed in on the reflection in John Nickel's eyes, showing the man who was holding the camera. His eyes seemed to be flashing red, and it wasn't just some red-eye mistake that the reflection had caused.

“He's one of them,” Oliver realized.

“But I don't think he wanted to be,” Felicity concluded. “He kept going on about being 'made' and all that, so I think by the color of his eyes that he's a made vampire, and a new one at that.”

“What does that mean for us then?” Diggle asked. “We obviously have to deal with him.”

“It means that we're going to find him and kill him,” Oliver stated simply. “Being made into a vampire can have different effects on different people, but the ones who reject the change are usually the ones who lose their minds quicker.”

“I second that logic,” Felicity said. “I'm going to do my best to find him, Oliver,” she continued, looking right at him again with those deep blue eyes of hers. “I promise.”

“I know you will,” Oliver said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I trust you.”

-§-

Felicity sat on the floor of the Foundry, high heels kicked off, fake glasses thrown across the room and knees bent as she glared at her hands that she was resting in her lap.

She had failed again tonight, sending Oliver off in the wrong direction when she thought that she had located the Savior. The vampire had kidnapped the D.A. who had been human, despite the fact that he had been corrupted by the Dark Ones by covering up the truth about them. She had thought that she had pinpointed the place that the Dark One was using to broadcast his latest catch, but it had turned out to be the wrong place and the signal had moved so suddenly that it had completely thrown her off. She knew that the D.A. had been a crook all on his own, but he _had_ been human and he hadn't deserved to just be executed like that by a vampire who had lost his mind. As soon as the gunshot had rung out, Felicity had pushed away from her desk and thrown her glasses off as well as her ear-piece that was still connected to Oliver.

Diggle had tried to approach her, but she had yelled at him to leave her alone and he had walked away, seeing that she was too upset to talk about what had happened just yet. Oliver hadn't come back, but she could already see the anger and disappointment that would be in his eyes once he came to the Foundry and acknowledged the fact that she had failed the mission once again.

She was supposed to work the technical things in the Foundry and _she_ had been supposed to figure out why the other vigilante was able to send them bogus locations with his signals. It might not have been the first time that she had screwed up in her life, but it most certainly was one of the times that she had taken it the hardest.

The door opened and she heard Oliver hurrying down the stairs. His footsteps stopped, but she didn't dare to look up at him, knowing that he was looking at her. She sat with her face buried in her hands as she spoke.

“I know what you're going to say,” she told him, voice not wavering despite the turmoil she felt inside of herself.

“Do you?” Oliver asked after a beat passed. “Where's Diggle?”

“He left after I told him to go, using my 'loud voice',” Felicity replied, not being able to help the snark in her tone when she finally looked up at Oliver. He seemed to take her looking at him as a sign that it was okay for him to take a step forward.

“What do you think I'm going to say?” he frowned at her, stepping even closer.

“That I failed,” Felicity said. “That I should be better at what I'm supposed to do. That that man _died_ because of my inadequacy.”

“You're wrong,” Oliver said, closing the space between them before sitting down next to her. She bit her lip to keep herself from saying something about his pants being too tight when he grunted and shifted so that he could get more comfortable on the floor. “What happened tonight isn't on you,” he told her then. “It was the Savior who killed that man, not you, Felicity.”

“It might as well have been, Oliver!” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “I wasn't able to save him and I've never felt more useless in my entire life. It's almost like I went back in time and had to watch-” She inhaled sharply, breaking off her thought process. She was _not_ going back to that time; she was not going to think about it anymore.

“You're anything but useless and inadequate,” Oliver told her, looking at her worriedly. “We'll figure this thing with the Savior out. _You'll_ figure it out. I trust you,” he said.

Felicity turned her head and looked him in the eyes, her breath hitching a little when she realized just how close he was sitting to her. Using everything in her power to not look down at his lips, she kept her eyes set on his. “You might be right about the whole 'being alone is better' thing,” she whispered to him, feeling how hot tears once again prickled her eyes. Wiping her cheeks furiously, she tore her eyes away from him as she continued. “Maybe it's better that I'm alone,” she said. “I have no idea how I would even begin telling someone about what happened tonight.”

She stood up from the floor and wiped her cheeks again, not looking at Oliver, but she heard him scramble up to stand as well. His still gloved hand wrapped around her wrist and he forced her to stay where she was, when all she wanted to do was run away and forget about everything that had happened.

“Felicity, it's not on you,” he repeated, staring down intently at her. Her eyes teared up again and she absolutely _hated_ the fact that she was once again showing weakness so easily. Oliver held her chin between his thumb and his forefinger, making her look at him again. His blue eyes shimmered with something she didn't recognize, but she knew that she had seen it in them before, like the night that she had told him about how she had been turned into a hybrid against her will. “I'm not blaming you and you shouldn't either,” he whispered to her, moving just a little bit closer. Felicity's lips parted as she looked up at him, noticing how dazed and deep in thought Oliver seemed to be as he leaned just a little bit closer. One of her trembling hands reached up and gripped his wrist, making him pause in his movements. A second or two, or maybe a thousand passed before his eyes narrowed slightly and his mouth turned down in a small frown. He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but Felicity had felt it the moment the connection between them had broken. Oliver took a small step back, his hand dropping away from her chin as if he was just now realizing what he had been close to doing. She could hear his heat beating in his chest and she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him that she was the only one with the advantage. On the other hand, she was glad that she was though, because she was fairly certain that if Oliver had been able to hear _her_ heart beat, she would have been embarrassed to no end because it felt as if the blood pumping muscle was going to jump out of her chest at any time.

“I'm going to try again,” she mumbled, tearing herself away from him, walking back to her computers, already feeling the way her cheeks were heating up. She began re-watching the last video that the Savior had sent out, listening to the audio, hoping to find any kind of clues.

She almost didn't notice when Oliver walked up to her and placed her fake glasses on her desk.

She was almost able to ignore the fact that her heart once again jumped in her chest.

She almost denied that her feelings for the man were growing stronger by the day, but stopped when she felt his comforting hand settle on her shoulder for a moment before he left her and went to change.

-§-

The Savior's real name turned out to be Joseph Falk.

Felicity had been sitting at her computers for three hours decoding everything the man said, every last word that sounded cryptic to her, and she had come to the conclusion that the man had lost his wife in a robbery a few months back, in the Glades and that he had later been taken by vampires when he had had too much to drink at the Black Rose, being turned against his will.

She was in the middle of explaining that she had found something else, when her phone rang. Oliver and Diggle looked at her when she picked up without hesitation.

“Thea? Is everything okay?” Felicity asked, sounding concerned.

Oliver frowned, wondering why his sister was calling Felicity this late. He gave Felicity a questioning look when her eyes widened. She pulled her phone away and put it on speaker, “Could you repeat that, Thea? Please?”

“ _Someone took Roy!_ ” Thea cried into the phone. “ _I went to see him because he was acting all weird and someone just attacked and sedated him or something! I don't know what to do!_ ”

“Thea calm down, okay?” Felicity said. “I'll see if I can hack into any security cameras to-”

The call was suddenly cut off when a video started loading on Felicity's phone. The blonde looked up at Oliver and Diggle, who both took a small step closer to be able to see what was happening.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen! Meet. Roy. Harper,_ ” Joseph Falk's voice spoke as a video of the young man that they all knew as Thea's boyfriend appeared. It was a bit grainy and the camera moved around too much so they couldn't get a good read on the surroundings. “ _Mr. Harper here is a_ gang banger _, aren't you? One of the culprits who terrorize the streets in the Glade_ _s at night... But during the day too, Mr. Harper, isn't that right? You're one of those who haven't gone and turned for the worse yet, am I right?_ ”

Roy was glaring defiantly into the camera, but Felicity could see something similar to defeat glimmering there too. She gulped when realization hit her and all the pieces suddenly fell into place.

“ _If you're going to kill me, just do it already,_ ” Roy said, sounding almost bored.

“ _You have to admit to your crimes first,_ ” Joseph countered angrily. “ _That's how this is supposed to work! You admit that you're one of_ Them _and I kill you to make Starling City a safer place for everyone!_ ”

“ _One of 'Them'? I don't belong to a gang anymore, if that's what you're talking about_ ,” Roy said. “ _But I have committed crimes... I'm not going to sit here and defend myself or my actions. You do what you have to. I'm just a waste of space and time anyway..._ ”

“Damn it, Roy!” Felicity exclaimed, shoving her phone into Oliver's hand. “How about you try to buy me some time instead of asking a mad man to kill you? God, where had the self-preservation gone in this world?” she muttered to herself as she began tapping away again, faster than she ever had before. “I picked up on a strange ambient sound when I was listening to the last recording, but I couldn't tell what it was,” she told Diggle and Oliver, who hurried over to her. She played the sound and they all listened intently.

“It sounds like a train on tracks,” Diggle pointed out. “Like the old subway.”

“He was underground the entire time,” Felicity realized then. “That asshat... He _was_ in all those locations I picked up, but he was _moving_ underground inside one of the old trains!”

“Can you try and pinpoint where he's going to be when he starts moving?” Oliver asked her and she nodded.

“I can and I'll tell you, but you have to get on that bike _now_ if you're going to save Roy,” Felicity said. Luckily, Oliver was already dressed up in his suit so he started for the door immediately, grabbing his bow on the way out. Felicity looked at her screen again and then at Roy's defeated face. “Don't give up, Roy,” she whispered, more to herself than anything else. “We're going to get there in time and then I'll help you. Just stay alive and don't give up.”

-§-

Oliver watched from the rooftop how his baby sister jumped into Roy's arms, holding him closer than he had ever seen her hold anyone. The sight of her happy tears and Roy's shy smile as he hugged her back made Oliver's lips tug up a little against his own will, but he reached up and touched his ear-piece.

“Roy's safe, Felicity,” he said. “You did it.”

There was static on the other side for a moment before Felicity connected, “ _Come home, Oliver. We have things to talk about_.”

Oliver frowned a little then, and turned around, using the emergency stairs of the building to get down to the alley where he had left his bike, thinking about everything that had happened when he had reached Roy and Joseph Falk.

He had gotten into the moving train and taken the vampire aback, but it seemed like no matter how new the vampire was, his strength was still there. Oliver had done his best to fight him off, but there had been no way to do so without Roy seeing and noticing that his captor was moving at an unnatural speed. The younger man had stared wide-eyed at Oliver as he had finally gotten one of his arrows with a wooden tip through the other man's heart, causing him to shrivel up and ashen right in front of Roy. Oliver had only helped Roy by throwing a small arrow to cut his ropes before going off to stop the train from moving. As soon as he had made sure that the train wouldn't move and that Roy was safe, he had told Felicity to send a message to Detective Lance before leaving the scene.

When Oliver reached Verdant, he used the back alley way to enter through the secret entrance they had there that led directly down to the Foundry.

“What's wrong?” he asked, seeing Diggle and Felicity's concerned looks.

“Felicity just revealed that she figured out what Roy is,” Diggle stated, rubbing his temples.

Oliver frowned, turning to the blonde. “What?”

“Roy,” she said. “Remember when I told you that I got that weird 'zingy' feeling when I touched him? Well, I figured out what it was,” she explained, talking quickly. “He's a werewolf. Or, well, he's going to be one pretty soon, depending on when the next full moon comes up.”

“ _What_?” Oliver stared. “Are you telling me that my little sister's boyfriend is a _Nightcrawler?_ ”

Felicity actually rolled her eyes at him and Oliver couldn't help but glare at her. Why the hell was she downplaying all of this? It could lead to serious complications with their mission, after all, especially if Roy turned out to be on the side of the bad ones and that he had somehow figured out that Oliver was the Hunter. What if Roy was just using Thea all along to get close to the Arrow?

“No, I'm telling you that Roy is a werewolf who hasn't yet finished his transformation,” Felicity replied calmly. “Like I was, back in college.”

“But isn't Roy twenty years old or something?” Diggle frowned then. “If he was a werewolf, wouldn't he have turned during the first full moon of his eighteenth year?”

“Not necessarily,” Felicity shook her head. “Some wolves take longer to evolve to realize their full potential, which is why he's been having rage issues and is generally awkward around new people. He feels as if he doesn't belong in his own skin, which he won't until he turns for the first time, which is most likely very soon.”

“How do you know for sure?” Oliver asked.

“I told you that I felt something weird when I touched him, Oliver,” Felicity sighed. “It's because I was just like him once. I didn't have a clue about what I was and clearly, Roy doesn't either. Tonight is probably the first time that he encountered another supernatural being, so he probably doesn't know about himself yet.”

Oliver thought about it for a moment as he leaned back against one of the tables. He couldn't get Roy's expression from when he had shot Falk through the heart out of his head. Felicity was right; the shock there couldn't have been faked. But if Roy really had no idea of what he was really capable of or the fact that he would be turning into a wolf within the next month, it only made him _more_ dangerous.

“What do you want to do then?” Oliver asked, knowing that Felicity was bringing it all up for a reason.

“I want you to let me approach him,” she answered instantly. “I want to help him ease into it and prepare him for what's to come. I'll show him what I am and answer any questions he has, but I'll leave out the Arrow if that's what you want me to do.”

Oliver looked at her, “You're not going to deal with this on your own. I'll be there when you decide to tell him.”

Felicity's eyes brightened up at that. “You're really going to let me do it? Talk to him and explain everything?”

“I'm going to help you, help _him_ ,” Oliver clarified. “But how do we know that he isn't dangerous.”

“If he hasn't turned until now, I think it's safe to assume that he's a pack wolf,” Diggle said. “Or, well, at least that he should be one...”

“So what? We let him join us? Our... _group_?” Oliver internally cursed himself for almost referring to their team as a 'pack'. Felicity's grin told him that she had caught on to his almost slip-up, but he was thankful when she didn't say anything about it.

“We'll help him the best we can,” Felicity said. “Then, depending on how everything goes... Once everything with the Undertaking is over, I'll be free to take him under my wing and teach him more about the things I know. I can help him and the two of us might be able to stick together and if he wants to start a pack with me-”

“' _Start a pack with you'_?” Oliver interrupted, staring at her with wide eyes. That feeling that he didn't like flared up inside of him again when he imagined Roy and Felicity starting a family of their own and Felicity leaving his team.

“In terms of _friendship_ ,” Felicity gaped at him, as if she had just realized how wrong her words had sounded. “I am _not_ going to attempt to take Thea's boyfriend from her.”

Oliver calmed down a bit, but then thought about his sister. As if she had sensed his worries, Felicity stepped toward him and put her hand on his shoulder, making him look at her. “We've got this,” she told him. “Thea will be safe and I'm one hundred percent sure that Roy will understand. Once he completes his first transformation, he should calm down and become harmless... Unless he or those he loves are threatened of course. Wolves are fiercely protective of their own.”

“I've noticed,” Oliver chuckled, but the worries remained. Still, he trusted Felicity with his life and he knew that if there was anyone who could reach out to Roy and help him before he somehow corrupted himself and became one of the wolves that Oliver hunted, it was Felicity. “Okay,” Oliver finally relented. “We'll do this your way.”

Felicity smiled brightly at him and Oliver turned toward Diggle, who gave him a confirming nod.

“I have complete faith in Felicity's abilities to tame a non-transformed werewolf,” Diggle said. “Never would have expected myself to say that, but I suppose it's getting late, so it might be acceptable. I'm off for tonight,” he said, yawning. “You two behave down here, okay?”

“Don't we always?” Felicity smirked, not seeming the least bothered by Diggle's insinuations when she leaned over and pecked the older man on the cheek.

“Mhm,” Diggle hummed, sending her a look before pressing his own lips to the top of her head. “You did good tonight,” he told her. “I'll see you two tomorrow so we can talk over how we're going to go about Roy in more detail. Good night.” Diggle patted Oliver on the shoulder on his way out and Oliver raised his hand in a short wave before crossing his arms over his chest again, looking over at Felicity. She was leaning against her own table, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she looked at him.

“Thank you for not giving up on me,” she suddenly blurted out. “I know I kind of lost it a bit after Falk's second kill, so I'm grateful that you didn't let me give up.”

Oliver pushed away from the table he was leaning against and walked a bit closer to her. He stopped in front of her and looked down at her, reaching up to gently touch her cheek, feeling as if he was breaking a thousand of his own rules when Felicity's eyes closed at his touch.

“I'm proud of you, Felicity,” he admitted quietly. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him, her mouth falling open, but she didn't move away from him. Just like the last time he had been encouraging her by being honest, telling her that it wasn't her fault that they hadn't been able to save the D.A., Oliver felt the urge to just close the distance between them and claim her lips with his own. He found himself wanting to taste her and see if she really was as sweet as he dreamed that she was and that thought alone scared him more than anything. The attraction he had instantly felt toward Felicity after she had joined them hadn't gone away and there was no longer any point in denying that it was there.

“You're proud of me?” Felicity questioned, blinking up at him.

“I am,” he nodded, “and I'm glad that I get to call you my partner.”

He watched her as her expression slowly softened and an uncertain smile appeared on her face. “You really mean that?” she asked him. “You're not just saying it to make me feel better, are you?”

“No,” he smiled back at her, feeling comfortable enough to do so as he once again brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. “And I don't want you to ever start doubting your abilities. You've changed my mind about a lot of things in this world, but I know for sure that I'll never doubt that I can trust you again.”

“Because I'm your partner,” Felicity clarified, a blush creeping up her cheeks, starting at the place that he was caressing her. It made him want to just lean into her further and he knew that he was once again treading in a dangerous territory. He didn't want to ruin this thing- this _friendship_ that he and Felicity had somewhat established today. It wasn't exactly a secret that he always somehow managed to ruin the best things that happened in his life by getting too deeply involved with them. His track record of women wasn't the best either and he didn't want to make the same mistakes he always seemed to be making when the opposite sex was involved.

“Because you're my partner,” he echoed, resting his hand on her shoulder again so that he wouldn't do something stupid.

“Well then, _partner_ ,” Felicity said, emphasizing the word, “I think you should go home and check on your sister and her boyfriend. And get some rest too because you still have that board meeting tomorrow.”

Oliver groaned, his head falling back as he shut his eyes, “Damn it, I had forgotten all about that.”

“Good thing you have me to remind you then,” Felicity quipped.

He opened one of his eyes and looked at her. She was still smiling at him and it made him go all warm inside. “Yeah, good thing,” he agreed. Before he could talk himself out of it, or before he could even think about it, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead lightly. He pulled back when he realized what he had done, but not too far away. Felicity was peering up at him curiously, but she seemed to be just as taken aback as he felt by his own actions.

“I, uh... I guess I should get going then,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Mhm,” Felicity hummed, biting her damn lip again. It was too distracting and he shook his head a little as if it would somehow help to clear his mind. It was obvious that there was _nothing_ clear in his mind when Felicity was involved.

“Uh, good night, I guess,” he said letting go of her shoulder when he realized that he was still gripping it tightly. He wondered briefly if he had hurt her or something, but then again, she was a hybrid, so not much could actually hurt her.

He was half-way to the door when he stopped, realizing that he was still wearing his leather suit. Trying hard not to blush like a teenage boy, he glanced over at Felicity who was still nibbling on her lower lip, looking at him in amusement. He was making a fool out of himself, he realized.

“Oliver,” Felicity suddenly spoke up. He looked at her again and she moved forward so quickly that he only had time to blink once before she was standing in front of him. Frozen in his place, he could only stare at her as she leaned up on her toes and pressed her soft lips against his cheek. When she pulled back, she lingered there, a mere inch or two from his skin that suddenly felt very hot. He turned his head a little and dared a glance at her, meeting her azure eyes. They flashed golden briefly when she grinned up at him. “Good night, partner,” she told him, her delicate hand reaching up to untie the first strap of his suit. “I'll see you at work tomorrow, because tonight I have a date with favorite TV-show on Netflix.”

One second she was there and the next, she was already on the other side of the room again, by her computers, logging into her Netflix account, it seemed. He ignored the way his pants suddenly felt just a little bit tighter and how his chest was burning from her touch. Forcing himself to walk away, he grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to change. When he came out again, Felicity was tucked under her covers on her cot, already looking at some show that he hadn't seen before.

“Hey, Felicity,” he called out, making her turn around toward him. Her hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head and she was wearing gray pajamas with small frogs on them. In Oliver's mind, he allowed himself to admit that she had never looked prettier, but he still couldn't get her little move from earlier out of his head. He hated the fact that she didn't seem the least bothered by the charged moment that had transpired between them and the effect that she continued to have on him. “If you ever need to tell someone about your day...you can tell _me_.”

He didn't expect a reply from her, but the blinding smile he got was enough for him. When he walked out to his other bike that night, the one meant for Oliver Queen and not the Arrow, he couldn't help but smile to himself either, feeling a little lighter than he had felt before.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo? What did you think? Loved it? Hated it? (Please don't hate it!) I would love to know what you thought so please, do share what your favorite part was in a comment. And yes, Roy is a werewolf! What did you think about that? ;)
> 
> Also, I think it's worth mentioning that I hadn't planned on letting Oliver and Felicity share those small kisses on the forehead and on the cheek, but I decided that since I've kept you guys waiting for so long, and I really wanted to establish that they are moving forward, I put it in there too... So, I hope you liked it!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and for supporting me! I love you all! xx


	15. The Dodger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's feelings for Felicity keep growing and a dangerous, jewel thief comes to town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a quick note here! I'm sorry for taking so long to update this story, but I've been all caught up in another story that I have like two more chapters to write and then I'll be able to focus on this one more fully. I needed a break from Arrow, unfortunately. Or well, I don't know why but it did me good. Hopefully after I finish the other story, I'll be able to go back to this story full time, but for now, here you have this chapter that I hope you'll like! :) I have a note in the end of the chapter which is important too, so don't forget to read that one! xx

**Hunted**

_Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with._

**Chapter 15: The Dodger**

"Are you trying to tell me that you beat Oliver in hand-to-hand combat?" Tommy asked, raising his eyebrow at the blonde who was leaning back in her chair with her feet propped up on a spare chair in front of her.

Felicity watched him in amusement, playing with the Chinese food he had brought her when he'd come to visit her in the Foundry. "Is that so hard to believe?" she wondered, challenge clear in her tone.

"You're  _tiny_!" Tommy protested.

"You've seen my hybrid strength first-hand!" Felicity laughed at his bewildered expression, putting the take-out box on her desk.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tommy nodded along, shrugging. "I kind of wish I could have been there to see it, you know? Is there a recording or something somewhere? Like from a security camera?"

"Cameras are easy to hack, Tommy," Felicity said. "Oliver learned that the hard way when I got in and found out his identity. He told me to get rid of almost every last one of them after I joined the team and he started trusting me."

Tommy looked at her curiously. "How long ago was that exactly?"

Felicity contemplated his question, thinking about what would be the best way to go about it. Should she be completely honest and tell him that Oliver pretty much hated her at the beginning of their partnership and that he didn't really accept her until like a month or so back? Considering that Felicity couldn't see a reason to start making things up when it came to her relationship with Oliver, she did just that. Tommy seemed awfully skeptic of it though until she told him just how cold Oliver had been toward her before.

"I can't believe he was like that," Tommy gaped. "He really didn't even let you leave the Foundry until you got a fake job at Queen Consolidated so he could keep an eye on you himself?"

"Yeah," Felicity nodded. "But we're good now. He's even trusting me to take care of the whole Roy-business on my own, which is exactly why I invited you down here by the way, so maybe we should get to talking about that instead of me and Oliver?"

Tommy grinned at her, clearly not wanting to let go of the subject yet, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay, so you're going to approach Roy – Who is Thea's boyfriend, by the way. – and tell him that he's a werewolf that hasn't turned yet," Tommy said, taking a bite from his own food.

"Yeah," Felicity drawled, spinning in her chair once. "So, what do you think is the best way to tell someone that they have suppressed werewolf genes and that they are coming closer to activating their werewolf side with every full moon that passes?"

"Well, baring your fangs was kind of effective," Tommy shrugged, shooting her a pointed look.

"I don't want it to come to that," Felicity said seriously, but the memory of how frightened Tommy had looked when she had done just that was kind of funny to think about.

"It was rather dramatic, wasn't it?" Tommy mused, slurping his noodles.

Felicity scrunched up her nose when some sauce dribbled down his chin and he wiped it away. "I didn't want you to hate Oliver," she told him. "God, you eat like a pig."

"It's noodles! There's no way to  _not_ get sauce all over your face," Tommy defended. "And are you always this protective of Oliver? I thought it was just him, but apparently it's a two-way street with you guys."

"And so we're back to me and Oliver," Felicity sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"You are a curious subject to discuss," Tommy told her. "Or at least you are when one isn't discussing it directly with one of you."

"You talk about us when we aren't around?" Felicity narrowed her eyes. She understood that people were curious about her relationship with Oliver, but there really wasn't anything other than friendship there. They were partners, if anything, and it didn't go beyond that. Or well, at least she didn't think it did? She had admitted to herself long ago that Oliver was attractive, but she wouldn't let herself do anything stupid and ruin everything they had built so far. Besides, she was a Dark One and he was a hunter. It wasn't as if he would just forget and let go of everything that he had been taught these last seven years or so and start caring about her more deeply.

"No," Tommy said quickly, but he didn't sound very convincing.

Felicity shook her head at him, "I invited you here to help me figure out how to talk to Roy. Can we please go back to that now?"

Tommy looked like he wanted to say something else, but finally, he sighed. " _Fine_ ," he said. "Let's talk about Roy and how you're going to invite him into this world of crazy."

Felicity let out a laugh at that as they finally began discussing again. She did her best to ignore the way her heart beat just a little bit stronger in her chest when she thought about Oliver and her and the way he was starting to make her feel.

-§-

Oliver tapped his knee with his finger as he kept his eyes on the road. He and Diggle were making their way toward the Foundry after a long day at work and he knew that Felicity was there with Tommy alone, because apparently she had needed someone's help to figure out how to handle the Roy situation and Oliver wasn't good enough to confide in.

He nearly rolled his eyes at himself for thinking that way, because he knew that he and Felicity had come to a new level of understanding since the whole thing with the Savior. Oliver had been there for her when she had been down, yet again, and he trusted her more than ever. He wanted to be able to say that it didn't bother him that she had gone to Tommy for advice though, but he understood her when she had told him that it was merely because Roy was Thea's boyfriend and Thea was his sister and that she didn't want to complicate things between them all when she told Roy that he was a werewolf.

Diggle was having his reservations about leaving Felicity to deal with Roy on her own. He had told Oliver as much when they had begun their drive to the Foundry and ended up stuck in traffic. It wasn't because he didn't trust Felicity, but more because he didn't want her to pressure herself into dealing with all of that on her own. They only knew a small portion of what she had endured when she had been forced to turn into a hybrid by the Master and even with that knowledge, it was safe to say that she had been through more than anyone else they knew.

Oliver had been through his own personal hell when he had been stuck on Lian Yu and then later gone through various other journeys that had forged him into the hunter that he was today, but there was something about Felicity's story that struck a chord in his heart. Often, when he was alone at night, his mind would go back to that night when she had told him her story – or at least  _some of it_  – and he would feel sorry for all the things that he had put her through when she'd first come to join his team. He had been spiteful and mean, purely because she was a hybrid and he didn't believe that there could ever be a single one of the Nightcrawlers that was simply  _good_. She had proved him wrong, time and time and again, by both being there in the Foundry during his patrols, making him new weapons to use against hybrids, putting his sister's safety first and saving his life on multiple occasions.

He cared for her now and there was no denying it, but he just couldn't bring himself to talk about it either. Whatever it was that was changing between them needed to be kept between them and them alone. He didn't want to dwell on  _why_ he had felt that familiar sense of jealousy when Felicity had mentioned starting a pack with Roy because he hadn't actually been jealous in several years. The blonde hybrid was doing things to him, making him feel emotions that he had never thought he would feel ever again. Still, he wasn't ready to tell her that or to question why it was that she was somehow managing to weave her way into his heart slowly.

"I thought a lot about Roy Harper last night," Diggle said suddenly, making Oliver return to the land of the living and leave his deep thoughts about the blonde that was still haunting his dreams at night.

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrow, earning a look from the older man that said ' _Don't even go there_ ' which almost made him chuckle. "Did you come to any conclusions?" he asked instead.

"Whenever Felicity tells Roy, there's another problem we might have to think about," Diggle pointed out. "If Roy keeps seeing Thea, your sister is most likely going to find out about the People of Darkness too. It's only a matter of time before Roy does something or she figures out that something is wrong."

Oliver frowned then, asking himself silently why he hadn't thought about that before. He had been keeping Thea in the dark about this secret world and other life of his for seven years now, since he had returned from being lost for so long. Telling her the truth about the Dark Ones had never been in his plan but what Diggle was saying was true. Whenever Felicity approached Roy on the matter, Thea finding out the truth would be inevitable if Roy remained in a relationship with her. Oliver didn't know what he thought about that other than the fact that he was worried that his younger sister might actually end up hating him for keeping such a thing from her.

"I don't know, Dig," Oliver sighed. "I can't think about that now. We're letting Felicity handle Roy on her own and I want to have faith in her. I need to believe that she has a plan and whatever happens, I'll just have to deal with it."

Diggle nodded curtly, "So if Thea finds out the truth, you'd be fine with it?"

"I don't know," Oliver repeated. "I guess we'll just have to take it one day at a time and see how things go."

At that, Diggle let out a low chuckle. "Man, Felicity's been rubbing off on you with her optimism," Diggle told him.

"Is that a bad thing?" Oliver questioned, but his mouth twitched up in a half-smile.

"No, man, it really isn't," Diggle grinned. "It's good to see you lean back and let others help you. You don't have to carry the burdens of the world on your shoulders alone anymore."

Oliver found himself nodding solemnly, silently agreeing. Diggle had been trying to tell him that for two years, but he had never allowed himself to fully accept it until now. Felicity was changing things and he found himself thinking, that perhaps, that wasn't such a bad thing after all.

-§-

Oliver dodged Felicity's punch, but just barely. She had gotten faster and he wondered briefly how much she had been training when she was down in the lair alone. Surely, she had to get bored when watching movies all the time and he knew for a fact that she sometimes showed up at the office tired, which must mean that she was doing  _something_.

"You've gotten better," she panted, circling him with her hands balled up in fists, readying herself for the next attack.

"I've always been good," he scoffed, raising a challenging eyebrow at her. They had been training together for the past hour, but Oliver was nowhere near done. He knew that Tommy and Diggle were watching them – they really weren't as discrete as they thought they were – but he didn't find himself caring about it at all. For some reason, as he fought Felicity in hand-to-hand combat, he couldn't help but get some kind of burst of energy inside of him. It was like every single time that she managed to get a jab in, he became even more determined to take her down.

She had the advantage of having better senses than him, due to her hybrid-side, but since she was refraining from drinking blood, her wolf side had become more prominent and the hybrid aspects had faded somewhat. Oliver didn't kid himself though. He knew that if Felicity were to consume human blood, she would once again have the upper hand on him. Then again, even if she had just been a simple wolf, she would still have had the instincts needed to give her an advantage. For the first time, Oliver actually allowed himself to admit that it was a good thing for him to have a supernatural being to train with, without having to worry about them ripping his throat out. It was very educational, to say the least.

At least that was what he told himself every time that Felicity floored him and he got that strange, tingly feeling in his gut that almost worried him a little.

Still, they needed this; they both did. They needed a way to work off some steam in a controlled environment, where Oliver refused to let his mind wander off to the dreams he was still having about the blonde. He didn't know exactly what Felicity felt toward him, but he knew for certain that she cared about him a lot. Her actions since she had joined his team and since she had saved his life for what felt like the hundredth time showed him that much.

The two of them were moving in perfect sync, it seemed. He threw punches and Felicity dodged them, she tried to sweep her leg under his feet to make him lose balance and he jumped to avoid her. They were both sweating and panting and Oliver just couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from hers, which stayed connected with his throughout the workout session. He was so lost in his own world, where it was just Felicity and him, that he completely missed Diggle turning up the volume on one of Felicity's computers. It wasn't until Felicity turned her head away from him to look over at Diggle and Tommy that he noticed that something was up. He immediately stopped the attack he had just been planning on the blonde and moved his attention to the screen.

" _One of the guards was found decapitated and the other one claims to have been unconscious the entire time. The police are yet to make a statement, but it seems as if this is the work of someone that has a history with this kind of thefts. Some anonymous sources suspect that the stolen diamonds and the murdered night guard from the museum point to the man known as Winnick Norton–_ "

Diggle turned down the volume again as the reporter began to list the things that the media had dug out about the thief and killer. "Winnick Norton usually goes by the codename 'The Dodger'," he shared. "He uses bomb-collars that he puts around people's necks to make them do his bidding. He got the name because he never gets his hands dirty during a heist."

A snort was heard suddenly and Oliver turned his attention to Felicity, who moved to sit down by her computers. Tommy and Diggle were looking at her as well and she just shrugged. "I've heard about him before," she shrugged. "He's not only a thief and a killer, but he's also a very cray-cray hybrid, which is the real reason to why he uses his bomb-collars." They looked at her questioningly and her eyes connected with Oliver's. "You know, decapitation? One of the few ways to kill a hybrid?" They kept staring at her. "Gosh, how do you guys forget some of the most important things I teach you about hybrids?"

"We didn't forget," Oliver frowned at her. "We were simply trying to think of how  _you_  know this guy."

"So, how do you know him?" Tommy questioned.

Felicity scrunched up her nose. "He... He used to work for the Master, I suppose. Maybe he still does," she shrugged. "I came across him a few times when I was being held captive after they forced me to turn."

Oliver could tell that there was something she was keeping from them, but he didn't want to pressure her into telling them. He knew that she would share whatever it was when she was ready to. The memories she had of being held prisoner by the Master were clearly as unpleasant as his memories of Lian Yu and the other places he'd been to when he was presumed to be dead and he himself wasn't exactly open to sharing what had happened to him with everyone yet, even though two years had passed since his return to Starling City.

Almost instantly, Oliver felt bad for the way he had treated Felicity when she'd first sought him out. He'd been insistent on locking her up because the only thing he had been able to see when he had looked at her was a threat to everyone he loved and cared about. It wasn't until a lot later that he had realized that Felicity hadn't actually had a choice in becoming what she was today. She had been forced into becoming a hybrid and she didn't actually enjoy being one at all. On the other hand, he knew that it had all been a very knee-jerk reaction of him. He had spent the past seven years of his life killing the People of Darkness and not taking a single moment to even ask himself if all of them were evil. In his defense though, most of the creatures that had ended up on the wrong side of his bow were Dark Ones that had been threatening him or innocent humans. Still, Diggle had been open to giving Felicity a chance because he had immediately seen that there was something different about her. Oliver though hadn't even wanted to consider the possibility of her actually being anything but evil.

"So, what would you guys normally do now?" Tommy asked, looking toward Oliver. "It's not like we can have a crazy hybrid running around blowing people's heads off."

Oliver looked at Felicity and John, giving them a curt nod.

Felicity sighed, "Well, it seems like revealing a world of darkness to Roy Harper is going to have to wait a few more days." The corner of her mouth lifted into a small smirk, "That sounded a bit more poetic than I intended it to."

"How do we go about this then?" Diggle asked after chuckling in amusement at Felicity's remark. "We don't even know where to start looking."

"Surely, Norton won't do anything else tonight and since he's already left the scene of the crime, we might have to lure him out," Oliver stated. "We can start coming up with a plan tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Felicity agreed. "The Dodger is obsessed with diamonds from the Ominous decade so we might be able to use that against him to draw him in." She began searching for the artifacts online and Oliver had to admit that it was a pretty impressive piece of jewelry. "That is one expensive necklace," Felicity whistled as she eyed it on the screen.

Oliver glanced at Tommy who snorted. "I think you've underestimated just how rich the Queen family is, Ms. Smoak," Tommy joked. "I'm sure Oliver could get a hand on that piece in time for the charity ball this weekend."

"Huh," Felicity said, nodding lightly. "I guess we have a plan after all."

"In that case, we'll need to plan it all out in more detail tomorrow," Diggle said.

Oliver agreed, "Felicity, use my family's private account and buy that necklace and if it's possible, see to it that it's here in time for the charity ball."

"Yes,  _Sir_ ," Felicity grinned teasingly. "Could I maybe throw in a pair of earrings for myself too? I feel like I kind of deserve it."

Oliver blinked a couple of times, not sure if she was joking or if she was being serious, but by the way that her grin only widened when she turned to look at him, he knew that she was once again trying to be funny. His lips twitched and his hand seemed to itch to reach out to her and tell her that once all of this was done, he would make sure to personally buy her a gift for all the work she's done, though instead he remained quiet. He did however meet her eyes and he hoped that he was at least able to show her silently what he couldn't say out loud.

Although, he did make a mental note to ask her when her birthday was because for some reason, he had already thought of the perfect gift for her.

-§-

"I can't believe we stayed this late at the office," Felicity groaned as she and Oliver got into the elevator.

"We had a lot of work to finish before the charity ball," Oliver replied. "But yeah, I didn't expect it to run this late either." He looked at his watch. It was already eleven, but he had asked Diggle to go on patrol since he and Felicity had been holed up in his office for the better part of the day. Tommy had texted Felicity and told her that he could act as surveillance from the lair. Oliver didn't like the fact that Tommy was getting involved in his crusade, but at the same time he was thankful that his friend didn't actually hate him for it anymore. Although, he didn't know how exactly it was going to effect Tommy's relationship with Laurel and since the two of them were happily engaged, Oliver didn't want Tommy to risk ruining it by getting too involved.

"Tommy just sent me another message," Felicity said, writing something back on her phone. "He said that it was a calm night and that Diggle said that it was okay for you to go home."

Oliver frowned, "He's finished with patrolling?"

"Yeah, apparently there wasn't much going on," Felicity shrugged. "He stopped a vampire from feeding on some girl in an alley, but other than that the Dark Ones seem to be on the down-low tonight." She looked up at him as they exited the elevator. "So, are you going home then?"

"No," Oliver shook his head. "I need to be prepared for anything at the charity ball, so I have to train."

"Oliver, no offense, but I don't think you could get more buff than you are," Felicity said bluntly. Oliver startled and looked at her. She blinked a few times and Oliver resisted the urge to smirk at her when a small blush crept up her cheeks. "Unless of course you compare your arms to Dig's, then you still have a long way to go," she blurted.

Oliver continued to walk by her side. "Should I inform John that you're comparing our arms? Is this something I should be worried about?" he teased her, nudging her in her side.

"Of course not, but it's kind of difficult to  _not_ notice," Felicity told him. "If you're going to work out tonight, do you want a ride with me?" Oliver quirked an eyebrow at her and Felicity punched him in the arm lightly. "You should be used to my slips by now, Oliver Queen!" she laughed.

Oliver grinned at her despite internally frowning at himself. He found himself leaning into her a little, chasing her touch, it seemed.

"If you're up for it?" he told her.

"Only if you're up for it," Felicity countered, then blushed again. "Damn it, I seem to be on a roll tonight."

Oliver chuckled and shook his head. "You're always on a roll, Felicity."

The two of them walked toward her car. She had parked it outside of the building, a little further down the road due to almost being late for work today. Her excuse had been that she had been up late and then barely slept at all during the night. Oliver had wanted to ask her about it, but once again he didn't want to pressure her into sharing anything. Felicity suggested that he wait for her by the building while she hurried over to her car, but Oliver didn't like the idea of her accidentally exposing herself. Besides, every time Oliver looked over his shoulder, something made him feel a bit uneasy.

They walked in a comfortable silence until they reached her mini. Felicity reached for her keys in her bag and Oliver began walking to the other side of the car so that he could sit in the passenger seat. He was stopped abruptly though when Felicity reached out and grabbed his wrist tightly. He turned around and looked at her with a frown on his face but he didn't have any time to ask her what was wrong, because Felicity took a step closer to him and his brain seemed to stop working.

Her chest was pressed tightly against his, her hand still clasped around his wrist, holding him in place. Her other hand found its way to his shoulder and all of the sudden, her face was moving closer to his. Oliver's breath hitched and he was certain that Felicity could hear the pounding of his heart. What was she doing, leaning into him like this? He furrowed his eyebrows when he looked into her blue eyes, seeing them flash that familiar yellow color for a mere second before she leaned up closer. Felicity's nose brushed against his cheek and Oliver suppressed a shiver when he felt her lips graze his ear a moment later. He could feel her hot breath against his skin and he still wasn't sure what she was doing, but he knew that there must be a reason for her to be doing it.

"We're not alone," Felicity whispered into his ear, her grip on his wrist tightening only slightly. "I can smell two vampires close by."

Oliver immediately tensed. He moved his hand – which had somehow ended up on Felicity's hip – inside his suit jacket, reaching for the thin wooden stake he carried with him there. He pulled Felicity a little closer to himself and he heard her sigh, knowing that she too was getting ready to fight off the threat. He let her lean into him, knowing now that the closeness was most likely something to use as a cover. Oliver didn't know what he had been thinking at first. He had actually thought that Felicity might have wanted to kiss–

"Well, well, well," a cold voice said, almost out of nowhere. Oliver and Felicity pulled apart and turned in the direction of the intruders. They stood side by side, a woman and a man – most likely mates – dressed all black. The woman was pale with almost glowing red eyes, proving that she had most likely fed just a little earlier while the man had dark skin and icy blue eyes. Oliver assessed them, pulling Felicity a little closer to himself. He felt her fingernails digging into his wrist and he did his best to remain impassive, not wanting to give away the fact that he knew what the strangers were.

"If it isn't little Ms. Smoak," the woman grinned, tilting her head to the side. "She looks just like she does in the picture, Dave." She grinned at the male vampire next to her, licking her lips. Not only did she look feral, but she looked excited too, as if she was ready to pounce at them in a second.

"Excuse me?" Felicity asked, voice trembling, but Oliver knew she was faking her fear. He could feel how steady her breathing actually was.

"Let's not try to worm your way out of this one,"  _Dave_ smirked, his eyes flashing.

' _Lamia,_ ' Oliver acknowledged in his mind. The man was probably not just the woman's mate, but also her Sire.

"I didn't believe Maya when she first told me she thought she had spotted you," Dave continued, referring to his mate. "The fact that the Master has us all looking for you and then you just casually walking out of Queen Consolidated with none other than  _Mr. Queen_ next to you... Well, the chance of that happening was just too small, I thought."

Maya cackled, "I made Dave come with me though to check you out and then we just  _knew_ that you were her. Working with Starling's resident hunter wasn't enough for you, but you had to go for the

billionaire bachelor too. Did you think he would be able to protect you with his money?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Felicity said, letting go of Oliver briefly so that she could open the car door. Maya sped forward at an inhuman speed and slammed the door shut, making Felicity gasp.

"Don't bother lying," the female vampire grinned as her fangs elongated. "I can smell your hybrid blood."

Oliver knew that it was time to act the second that Felicity's eyes flashed that golden hue that gave away that she was up to something. The moment that Felicity grabbed Maya's head and slammed it up against the car, Oliver drew his stake and made a move for Dave. The lamia vampire obviously hadn't expected Oliver to have a weapon or actually understand anything that was going on, because he was so taken aback that Oliver was actually able to shove the wooden stake deep into his stomach. Dave grunted and fell to his knees as Maya let out a wail, still pressed to the car by Felicity. She was struggling against Felicity's grip – trying to get to her Sire – but Felicity was stronger than her.

"How do you know about the Arrow?" Felicity growled, her own fangs slipping out. Her grip on Maya's neck tightened slightly, making the vampire splutter as she tried to take a deep breath.

"The M-Master," Maya replied.

"Shut up, Maya!" Dave snarled as Oliver dug the stake deeper into him, angling it upwards toward the monster's heart. "Don't t-tell them anything!"

"D-Dave," Maya sobbed, tears springing from her eyes. Oliver looked over at Felicity and saw that her eyes seemed to soften slightly, the yellow color fading. He knew she felt sympathy toward the monster in her arms and it would get her in danger sooner or later. Deciding that answers would have to be found in other ways, Oliver pulled out the stake before quickly slamming it back in, this time straight into Dave's heart. Maya let out a loud cry as Dave's body turned gray, his eyes lifeless as he slumped to the ground once Oliver let go of him. Oliver turned and stalked up to Felicity and Maya, removing Felicity from the vampire before staking her as well. Tears still streaming down her face, Maya's eyes became empty with the small gasp that left her body before Oliver pulled out the stake and let her fall to the ground as well.

He looked at Felicity, who was staring at him with wide eyes and surprise but he just gave her a look that told her not to say anything. Wordlessly, they worked together to dispose of the bodies before going to Felicity's car again. She didn't say anything the entire ride to the Foundry, just assuming that he would still be coming there with her and Oliver knew that she was assuming right. There was no way in Hell that he would be leaving her tonight. The Master, whoever he was, knew that she was working with him to stop the People of Darkness in Starling City. What Dave and Maya had said about a picture circling around had Oliver worried. The fact that the Dark Ones out there knew that she was working with the Arrow put her in even more danger than before. She had obviously been a target since the very beginning because she had been the one to escape the Master's claws even after they tried to break her, but now she was even more dangerous to the Master than before.

Felicity parked the car outside of Verdant and turned off the engine. Oliver could hear her breathing calmly, which told him that she was anything but. He too had perfected the act of breathing like nothing was wrong with the world, even though it actually was.

"You don't have to come with me," Felicity told him.

"I'm staying the night with you in the lair whether you want it or not," Oliver countered, turning so that he could face her.

"I'm safe there," Felicity argued, looking at him as well. "I can take care of myself. I did it for months before I joined your team."

"I know that," Oliver said, never breaking eye-contact as he spoke. "But you don't have to be the only one taking care of you anymore."

The meaning of his words hit her and Oliver frowned when he saw her lower lip began to tremble. Felicity looked away from him, her eyes screwing shut and Oliver couldn't help but move a little closer. "Hey, hey," he said softly, reaching out to her so that he could cup her cheek. "You're not alone," he told her when she finally met his eyes again. Tears were shining in her blue eyes and he could do nothing other than try to smile at her assuringly when she finally took a deep breath and nodded.

They walked into the lair together, Oliver's hand brushing against hers the entire time to give her silent comfort. He changed into some of his clean training clothes and Felicity put on her pajamas before offering him her bed.

"I'll just sleep on the med bay," he told her. She looked ready to protest but he held up his hand to stop her. "I've slept on worse, believe me," he said with a sheepish grin as his memories of his first few days on Lian Yu flashed through his mind.

Felicity laid down on her cot wordlessly and turned on her side so that she could look at him while he got settled. He was on the other side of the room, but he could still see her clearly because they had left one of the lights on. Oliver shifted so that he too was laying on his side, arm propped under his head so that he could look back at her as well.

A minute or so passed in silence before Felicity broke it.

"I've slept on worse too," she whispered, so silently that he had barely heard her at first. He looked at her, seeing that distant look in her eyes once again, even though they were still settled on him. Oliver knew that she had been through a lot and he knew that she wasn't ready to talk about everything just yet, so he didn't say anything. Instead, the two of them kept looking at each other until they both drifted off to sleep, never knowing who it was that closed their eyes first.

The next morning, they didn't talk about it at all, but for some reason Oliver just knew that the reason that his heart beat just a little bit faster when he was in Felicity's presence was becoming more and more obvious by the day.

-§-

Oliver watched Felicity as she smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles of the short dress she was wearing. She was standing almost as tall as him with the black stiletto heels that she had matched with the blue material of her dress and silvery dangling earrings. The blue dress hugged every curve of her body in ways that affected Oliver just a little too much. He reached up and loosened his tie a little, considering that it would be another half hour or so before the two of them were scheduled to head out to the charity ball.

Felicity had done as Oliver had told her and gotten the necklace from the Ominous era to be put on display for the charity tonight by the Queen family. Tommy was already on set with Laurel accompanying him, but Oliver had strictly told him to stay out of the hunting business tonight. If Tommy wanted to learn, he could do so when Laurel and everyone else they loved weren't in direct danger. This mission had to be all about Oliver, Diggle and Felicity.

Oliver couldn't help but go over every single thing that could go wrong tonight and he knew that Felicity could sense his nervousness more clearly that anyone else. Her heightened senses surely helped her feel it all around the lair, but for the first time in a long while, Oliver didn't mind that someone knew that he was afraid that something might go wrong.

"Diggle will take your bag and place it in one of the hotel rooms," Felicity told him. "He'll work his job as your bodyguard and driver tonight and I'll do my part as the pretty lady on your arm." She looked over at him, blinking a few times before she stepped into his space. Oliver watched her silently, his jaw clenching when she reached up and fixed his tie for him. "Everything will be okay," she promised him.

"The Master knows that you're working with me," Oliver argued. "If he had people there tonight, I don't know how we'll be able to capture the Dodger without something going wrong."

"You'll just have to trust me on this one, Oliver," Felicity said, offering him a small smile as she rested her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"I do trust you," he told her, covering her hands with his own. "Don't doubt that. It doesn't mean that I'm okay with the Dark Ones knowing that you're working with the Arrow."

"Maybe we should have talked to Diggle about this?" Felicity said, pulling her hands away from him. "Maybe we shouldn't have just ignored it, Oliver. This isn't an issue that's just going to go away. Not until we stop the Master, whoever he is."

"As soon as tonight is over, we'll talk to Diggle," Oliver agreed. "You're right about this not going away and we already have so many things on our plate that I don't even know where to begin with it all."

"We'll deal with it together, Oliver," Felicity told him, taking her purse. "Tonight, let's just focus on catching that crazy hybrid and hope that I don't trip in these ridiculous heels."

Oliver offered her his arm, not being able to help himself as he leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear when he spoke to her: "I'll catch you if you do, I promise."

He pulled back and watched in satisfaction as pink dusted over Felicity's cheeks and a small smile appeared on her face.

-§-

It turned out that Oliver's worries were justified. They got to the charity on time, mingled around with a couple of people and even danced a time or two, despite Oliver's original protest. The thing about Felicity though, was that no matter how much he  _loathed_ dancing, he just couldn't seem to be able to get enough of having her in his arms.

It had all been going well up until Diggle alerted him to something strange happening in the lobby. In the few minutes that Oliver had gone down to check them out, Tommy had called him with a panicked voice, telling him that he just saw Felicity leave the room with a strange man. Without thinking, Oliver went to the hotel room that he had gotten and got redressed into his leather suit. Luckily, Oliver had convinced Felicity to wear a tracker in one of her earrings just like he and Diggle wore their inside of their shoes so that they would always be able to locate each other. Diggle pinged her up and Oliver left the building through one of the bathroom windows. He had parked his motorcycle close by to be able to use it in case of an emergency and considering that Felicity's life might be in danger, he considered this to be one.

Oliver's heart was racing but he knew that it wasn't just because of the adrenaline coursing through his body. There was something more to it all this time. This was  _Felicity_. She had crept under his skin since the day that she had joined his crusade and she had made herself a place in his heart as one of the people he cared about the most in the world. Oliver considered her to be his friend and a part of his team. She was his partner. Never in his life would he have believed that he would become this dependent on her. Their relationship had grown so much these past few months that Oliver didn't know if he would be able to keep going without her and that realization scared him more than anything else.

Diggle told him over the comm-links that he had tracked Felicity down to the harbor and Oliver sped as fast as he could, breaking way too many traffic laws as he did, to get there in time. It wasn't exactly hard to find the Dodger and Felicity, but the problem was that Felicity was tied up as well as collared with one of the Dodger's bombs.

"Ah, the Starling City Hunter," Norton said, sneering at Oliver from where he stood on top of a container. Felicity was kneeling next to him, her face impassive despite the fact that she had a bomb strapped around her neck and was all tied up.

Oliver dropped his bike to the ground and raised his bow, aiming an arrow at the Dodger. "Let her go, Norton," he growled into the voice modulator.

Norton tilted his head to the side and observed him with a smirk. "You know, the Master wasn't sure whether she was working with you, but he suspected it considering that your knowledge on the hybrid breed seems to have grown a lot over the past few months," he said, lifting one of his hands to show a small remote. "You better lower that bow of yours or Ms. Smoak here will become a few pounds lighter after I blow her head clean off."

Oliver's eyes flickered to Felicity, who looked at him but didn't say anything. She seemed to be in a daze and the fact that she wasn't panicking at all had Oliver worried. Oliver lowered his bow slowly as the Dodger snickered.

"This is wonderful," he said, clapping his hands together. Oliver flinched when he saw how close he was to pressing the button on the remote.

"What do you want? Take the necklace and just go," Oliver finally said. "Let her go."

"The necklace is more of a personal prize than anything else," Norton shared. "Ms. Smoak though is to be returned to the Master, where she belongs."

"She doesn't  _belong_ to anyone," Oliver growled at him.

"Really?" Norton grinned. "You sound like she might belong to  _you_."

Oliver couldn't look at Felicity now. He knew that her eyes were trained on him and he couldn't be happier that his face was covered by his hood. This wasn't the best time for him to be confused about what he was beginning to feel toward Felicity because he knew that he needed to keep himself focused. It still didn't help though that he had been questioning his feelings and that his heart sped up just a little bit when the Dodger referred to her as his.

"She's an innocent," Oliver snapped.

"She's the Master's," Norton growled at him, his eyes flashing yellow as his fangs elongated. "She escaped and she broke her Sire bond and for that she needs to be  _punished_ _._ Now everyone knows that she's working with you but after tonight it won't matter anyways because you'll be dead and she'll be put back in her cell again."

"I'm giving you one last chance, Norton," Oliver said, raising his bow again at the same time that the Dodger lifted his remote to taunt him.

"What has she even told you to make you protect her like this?" the Dodger frowned. "Did she tell you that she's good? That she isn't just using you to help her save her little werewolf friends that are still in captivity?" he chuckled darkly. "She's taking advantage of you. Why would she care? Why would she be  _better_ than the rest of us? We're all monsters here."

"You're not going to kill her," Oliver stated. "You're not going to touch another hair on her head." He watched as the Dodger took a step closer to Felicity and placed his hand on top of her head, running it through her hair. For the first time since he had found her again, Oliver saw Felicity flinch. There was no way for him to know what exactly may or may not have transpired between Felicity and Norton when she had been held captive by the Master, but one thing was sure and that was that she had indeed interacted with him before.

"You mean like this?" the Dodger asked as he petted Felicity's head before twirling one of her loose strands between his fingers. "She's a pretty one, isn't she? Have you seen her as a wolf yet? So majestic... The closest thing to perfection that I've ever seen..."

Oliver took his chance then, releasing his arrow. It flew through the Dodger's wrist, severing the nerves that would make his hand function properly and the hybrid screamed in pain. Felicity moved so quickly then, swiping her leg underneath him, making him fall over and topple off of the container. The remote fell down and Felicity began struggling with her bonds so that she could get herself out of the death trap.

Oliver hurried over to the Dodger who was clutching his wrist before taking out one of Felicity's special made arrows, the tip of which extended into a claw that could be used to rip out a hybrid's heart.

"You're never touching me again you son of a bitch," Felicity hissed and Oliver looked up to see that she had successfully removed both the bindings as well as the bomb collar that seemed to have been deactivated. Oliver didn't even blink as he ran the arrow through the Dodger's chest, pulling as he ripped out the beast's heart and then watched in silence as blood spread across the dead monster's shirt. He took a few steps back and looked up at Felicity, only to see her dropping down gracefully off of the container. She stepped into him immediately and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, telling her that she was safe now and that they would be okay. He didn't say anything when she tightened her grip around him and pulled him in closer, burying her face in his leather-clad chest.

-§-

"It's getting ridiculous," Felicity stated absentmindedly as she tugged slightly on the hem of her shirt. She had changed into softer clothes after they returned to the Foundry and briefed Diggle on everything that had happened. "You've saved my life how many times now?" she asked.

Oliver knew that it was a rethorical question but he still decided that she deserved an answer. "About as many times as you've saved mine," he told her calmly, placing his bow back in its case. Diggle had gone home for the night and the two of them had been alone in the Foundry for over an hour now, but Oliver hadn't wanted to leave her alone just yet so he had used the excuse that he was going to practise target shooting. "What I don't understand though, is why you didn't fight back. Tommy said that you walked out of that room willingly," he said, looking at her where she sat on her cot.

"He threatened to blow up the place," Felicity told him. "I didn't want to risk anyone else getting hurt."

Oliver nodded in understanding but deep down he almost wished that she would start taking care of herself too. He might be being selfish for thinking that way but he couldn't deal with losing another person that he cared about. After losing his father, Yao Fei, his other mentors on Lian Yu and other friends, he just couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose her too.

"Felicity," Oliver said thoughtfully. "What the Dodger said, about you only helping me to help your friends...?" He let his question trail off, looking at her as she sighed deeply. "Do you have friends who are still captured? Is that why you want to stop the Master?"

"My reasons for stopping the Master have never been a secret, Oliver," Felicity told him, her blue eyes boring into his. "I believe in people having their freedom and what he is doing to werewolves, forcing them to become something that they might not want to become, that is against everything that I believe in." He watched her for a beat or two before she continued. "The few friends I had that were captured, were killed in front of me," she whispered, finally giving him at least another small part of her secret past. "They tortured me by torturing them – my pack – and used my humanity against me when they tried to break me."

"Felicity, I'm sorry," Oliver breathed out, stepping closer to her.

"I had just joined them a couple of months before," she shared. "I was just beginning to feel like a part of the family when we were all captured... There were  _kids_ , Oliver," she said, her voice catching in her throat. She swallowed thickly and Oliver closed the remaining gap between them, wrapping his arms around her once again. He knew that there was nothing he could say or do to make her feel better. Felicity wrapped her arms around his waist and once again let her head drop to his chest. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, brushing away a couple of stray tears that she had allowed to fall from her eyes, holding her even tighter than before.

She needed comfort and as her partner and friend he was going to give it to her. Oliver closed his eyes, imagining the horrors that she must have gone through and just knowing that he would never be able to understand until she gave him everything. He understood her for not being willing to just tell him the entire story, because he too hadn't yet shared everything about his five years away from Starling City with anyone. A small part of him wondered whether Felicity might be the one that he would eventually open up to completely, but he wasn't yet ready to think too much about that. What was important right now was his mission and keeping her safe and out of the Master's clutches. The monster knew now that she was working with the Arrow and it would only be a matter of time before the Undertaking – whatever it was – became a reality that they needed to face. Oliver didn't doubt that they would do it together though, but right now all he could do was hold Felicity and support her as she silently re-lived all the horrors she had gone through. So that was just what he did as he held her tight, closed his eyes and let her hug him back with the same force.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Felicity, right? At least Oliver was there for her... As you can see, the Roy issue is being pushed forward a few chapters but it will be dealt with soon. Either way, I just wanted to say that I'll be going on vacation from the 22nd of June to the 3rd of July and then I won't be able to write or post anything. I'll be traveling to München to visit some relatives there and I'm very excited for that! :)
> 
> Tell me what you thought about this chapter by leaving a little comment. I really hope you haven't given up on me because I certainly haven't given up on this fic! Real life just gets in the way sometimes, as does inspiration for other stories... Thank you so much for reading! I love you all! xx


	16. The Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since crossing paths with the Dodger, Felicity has been acting distant and strange. Oliver can't help but think that there is more to the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am so sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been very busy lately. Either way, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter of Hunted, which will give us a small look into the mystery that still is Ms.Hybrid Smoak! :)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains a memory which has a scene where a child is murdered. I know this can be a sensitive subject, so readers who don't want to read that can skip he cursive part of this chapter.

**Hunted**

_Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with._

**Chapter 16: The Nightmares**

* * *

 

"Felicity, I'm meeting with Thea for lunch," Oliver said, grabbing his suit jacket as he closed his office door. "Do you want me to get you anything?" He turned to look at her, noticing that her eyes were focused on the computer screen in front of her as she scrolled down slowly, clearly reading something. "Felicity?" he called out her name a little louder.

"What?" Felicity jumped, staring at him with wide eyes. Oliver suppressed the urge to smile a little at her when he realized that he had actually startled her.

"Are you okay?" he wondered.

"I'm fine," Felicity replied. Oliver couldn't help but give her a skeptical look. "I  _am_ ," she insisted, as a grin spread across her face. "And you don't have to bring anything back for me, just tell Thea I said 'hi'," she said, returning to staring at her screen.

Oliver looked at her for another moment before sighing and heading out the door.

Felicity had been like this for the past week, ever since they took down the Dodger. In the lair she would spend most of her time yawning and rubbing her eyes and at Queen Consolidated she would act distant and distracted.

And Oliver, for one, did not like this  _at all_.

Felicity was supposed to be his partner in this Arrow business and he needed her to be one hundred percent focused. Naturally, he couldn't blame her if she was still a bit shaken up by what had happened with the Dodger, but he missed the way she had been before. Nowadays, she didn't babble as much and Oliver really wanted to know what it was that was bothering her so much,  _besides_ the obvious trauma that she had endured that night. The fact that Norton had reminded her of her time in captivity and made her feel the guilt of having had her entire pack killed just because they had wanted her to submit to the Master… It made something in Oliver's chest ache.

Then he recalled that night that the two of them had left Queen Consolidated together; when Maya and Dave had attacked them. Despite the fierceness of Felicity's attack toward the vampires, she had still shown compassion and not been able to kill them. Oliver worried that Felicity's actual innocence when it came to killing the Dark Ones was going to become her eventual downfall.

Once again Oliver's chest constricted at the mere thought of losing Felicity. He swallowed thickly as he reached his car, entering the driver's seat and pulling out of the Queen Consolidated parking lot. There was no way in hell that he was going to lose Felicity. No matter what happened, he would protect her with everything he could.

' _I've slept on worse too_ ,' he remembered her words from that night that he had slept down in the Foundry with her. He had been talking about his time at Lian Yu and memories of pain and suffering that he would never be able to forget. Felicity had already shared that she had been tortured by her captors, but Oliver wondered just to which extent. At the same time, he knew that he couldn't just overlook the flinch that had been the only the sign that Felicity had been scared, or uncomfortable the night that the Dodger had taken her. Oliver wondered what that was all about. Norton had talked about Felicity and her wolf form as if he had seen her turn. He had called her  _majestic_ , his voice sounding almost as if he had been half in love with it. Oliver wondered how much more there was to the Dodger story that Felicity hadn't shared and as he finally pulled up at the restaurant that he had appointed to meet up with Thea at, he realized that he wanted to be the one that Felicity shared this with.

Oliver found Thea at their usual table and after greeting with a hug, the two ordered their food and drinks. As Thea talked to him about how things are going for her in school and with her boyfriend Roy, Oliver's mind kept going back to the hybrid that seemed to have completely taken over his life.

"Hey, where are you?" Thea suddenly asked as they finally had gotten their food and started eating.

Oliver looked up at her, dazed, "Hmm?"

Thea giggled, shaking her head, pointing her fork at him in an accusing way. "You were like a million miles away just now," she stated. "Where were you?"

Oliver contemplated the question for another moment, his mind filling with the image of blue eyes that glowed golden from time to time. "Have you been talking to Felicity lately?" he blurted out suddenly, receiving a strange look from his younger sister.

"You are aware of the fact that Felicity is  _your_ Executive Assistant, aren't you?" Thea countered, clearly amused. "You probably spend more time with her than I do."

"True," Oliver said, not being able to argue with her on that point. The thing was that Thea didn't even know that he basically spent every waking moment with the blonde woman, even after work. "I just thought that she might have spoken to you or something..."

"Why?" Thea wondered. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

"No," Oliver shook his head, keeping his face neutral.

"Is that the problem then?" Thea asked bluntly.

"What?" Oliver frowned, not understanding what she was getting at.

"I mean, do you want something to happen between the two of you?" Thea rolled her eyes at him. "I mean Tommy and I are already convinced that the two of you should get married–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Oliver raised his hands, his eyes wide. "Who ever said anything about  _marriage_?"

" _I_ did," Thea grinned. "I mentioned to Tommy how incredibly cute your babies would be and let's be honest, Ollie, you aren't exactly getting any younger and I want nieces and nephews soon!"

Oliver stared at her with a horrified expression, even though deep inside he felt…  _Bubbly?_

Was that even a word? Hearing Thea talking about him and Felicity in that manner confused him to no end because quite frankly, he couldn't exactly deny that he was slowly developing deeper feelings for his partner. Sure, those feelings might not be of the romantic sort – or at least he was still telling himself that – but hearing Thea talking about him and Felicity tying the knot and having kids made him feel all strange inside. That strangeness though made him want to change the topic and never bring it up again.

"And how are things with Roy?" Oliver asked, taking a bite from his chicken.

Thea rolled her eyes at him again. "Change the subject all you want, big brother, but I swear to you that some time within the next six months, you and Felicity will be crawling all over each other. I'm calling it now and when you two admit that you love each other, you're going to owe me a day at the spa with your beautiful lady friend so that I can tell her that I told  _you_  so."

-§-

After finishing lunch with Thea, Oliver decided to call Diggle instead of going back to the office. The two of them agreed to meet up earlier down in the lair so that they could get some workout in before tonight's patrols and Oliver called Felicity to inform her that he wouldn't be returning to Queen Consolidated today. She didn't question him, telling him that she just needed to get some papers sorted and that she too would be joining them at the Foundry soon enough.

As soon as Oliver arrived at Verdant, he checked in on Tommy who was trying to make sense of some numbers in his office. His friend told him that he would be very busy tonight because he had some dinner with Laurel's parents as well and Oliver didn't tell him that he was kind of glad that Tommy wouldn't be in the Foundry to join them this very night. In fact, Oliver had never really been quiet about his dislike for Tommy getting involved in the secrecy and whatnot. Even though Felicity liked having someone around to teach some of her computer stuff to, Oliver didn't like the fact that it implied to her not always being there. Then there was the fact that Oliver in general didn't want Tommy to start putting his life on the line for a mission that he had started when he had returned from his five years in Hell.

When Oliver finally got down to the lair, Diggle was already there, changed and ready for a fight. Oliver just greeted him fleetingly before removing his suit and putting on a pair of shorts to work out in and before Diggle could even state that he had just changed in front of him, Oliver had thrown a bo-staff at his friend and begun with the exercise.

Half an hour later, Diggle let out a grunt as Oliver once again managed to hit him between his shoulder blades. "What the hell's got you so damn frustrated, man?" Diggle asked, his breath coming out in half-angry puffs. Oliver knew that he wasn't mad at him, but rather at himself for not being able to get the upper hand on Oliver even  _once_ tonight.

"Felicity," Oliver admitted, his thought of the blonde slipping out of his mouth before he could stop it.

At the mention of the hybrid's name, Diggle stopped and his expression changed into one of worry.

"I've been planning to talk to you about her," Diggle admitted, lowering the staff in his hands. "Is it just me or is there something off with her?"

"You mean the fact that she's so lost in thought that she can't seem to focus on anything around here?" Oliver bit out. "Yeah, I've noticed."

"It's not just  _that_ ," Diggle stated. "She seems half-terrified while she's down here working too. Whenever you're out on the streets, she's all twitchy and she never used to be that way before."

Oliver contemplated this new revelation, finally realizing that he would have to talk to Felicity about this. "Do you think you could maybe take patrol tonight?" Oliver asked Diggle. "I can stay with her and monitor and then maybe I can see if I can talk to her about it."

"You think it has anything to do with what happened last week?" Diggle wondered.

"Maybe," Oliver nodded. "Her encounter with the Dodger might have triggered something inside of her that she had been suppressing."

"You would know more about that than anyone else," Diggle agreed, giving Oliver a look when he looked at him strangely. "Don't look at me like that. Unlike you, I faced my ghosts and my demons a long time ago after I returned from my last tour. I don't have anything weighting on my shoulders that I haven't talked about with the people that I have close."

Oliver recalled the few times that Diggle had told him his war stories. Whenever he did, the older man seemed to be comfortable enough to talk about what had happened back then without getting lost in thought as Oliver often would when he remembered Lian Yu or the other places he had been in during his five years away.

"It's okay, Oliver," Diggle finally said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I'll take patrol and then head home so that the two of you can talk."

"Do you think it's a good idea then? To just talk to her about it?" Oliver wondered.

"I think the two of you have been growing closer over these past couple of weeks and I think it will do you both good to maybe have a heart to heart," Diggle told him.

"John," Oliver sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And by 'heart to heart' I of course mean a completely platonic one," Diggle added, sounding half amused and perhaps even a little teasing.

" _Diggle_ ," Oliver said sternly, sending him a look that he hoped told the older man to tread lightly. Considering the conversation he had had earlier with Thea and now this all, Oliver suddenly felt as if he might not have been very good at masking the emotions he may or may not have started to feel towards the hybrid that he now depended on.

"Whatever," Diggle shrugged. "As long as you don't get in a fight and destroy the Foundry, I'm not going to say anything."

-§-

Oliver stared at the monitor in front of him, cringing when he heard Felicity yawn loudly for what felt like the hundredth time this past half hour. Ever since Diggle had gone out on patrol, Oliver had been sitting next to her by the computers, keeping watch through the street cameras that Felicity had hacked as well as the police radio. He had pulled on his leather pants and the black T-shirt he usually wore under his hood, just in case he would need to go out if there was an emergency. However, it seemed like tonight was a calm night, for both Nightcrawlers as well as other ordinary criminals.

"Switch to the one of Black Rose," Oliver instructed. Felicity complied, pressing a couple of keys on the keyboard, changing the camera being displayed.

"You did a good job installing that one," Felicity pointed out. "I mean, the Police took down their own a long time ago – You know, when the corruption of the police force started. – but the camera you put up is so small and well hidden than not one of those bad guys down there is ever going to notice it."

Oliver glanced at her as she finished her babble. He took in the bags under her eyes and listened to the next loud yawn that she let out.

"Maybe you should head to bed a bit earlier?" Oliver suggested before he could stop himself.

Felicity turned to look at him, her blue eyes surprised. "What?" she asked.

"You look a bit tired," he stated. "Diggle will be done soon with the patrolling and I know how to check the different cameras. If something turns up, I'll wake you up.  _Promise._ "

At the last word, he noticed how Felicity's mouth twitched, curving upwards slightly in an uncertain smile. He forced himself to reciprocate the smile, surprised to find that it wasn't as hard as he'd initially thought it might be.

"Are you sure?" Felicity bit her lip. "I can stay awake, it's no problem really."

"Felicity, please," Oliver said, looking into those blue eyes of her that really showed how tired she actually was. "Just go lay down for a bit and get some rest."

She seemed to hesitate only for another moment before finally nodding. "But you'll wake me up if there's something going on," she threatened, raising a finger at him.

"I swear," Oliver nodded, keeping his face straight.

"Okay then," Felicity nodded again, heading over to her cot, laying down and not bothering to change. Oliver figured she thought of it as a small nap, but from the sight of her exhaustion, he knew that she would be deeply asleep before he could even count to ten.

He watched her, silently as she laid her head down on the pillow.

He didn't even get to six, when her first small snore left her lips.

-§-

_The chains around her ankles were digging painfully into her skin. The wolfsbane soaked ropes burned her wrists. Her hair was caked with dried blood and one of her eyes was swollen almost completely shut. She could taste the copper in her mouth and feel the cool breeze of a draft against her almost completely nude body._

_They had left her in a pair of cotton boxer shorts and a tank, nothing more. Her body was littered with cuts from where they had taken turns at her;_ torturing  _her just to get their will forward. She had not broken and she would not break. She would not give them the satisfaction of being able to say that they had torn her down and made her submit._

_Wait._

The draft _._

_Felicity flinched internally, knowing what it meant. The door to her cell had been open, which must mean that they were now inside. She had forced herself so deeply into her own mind that she hadn't even registered them at first._

" _Change of plans, Ms. Smoak,"_ _Winnick Norton informed her, eyes glowing as he stepped toward her, grabbing her chin between his forefinger and thumb._

_Felicity tried to force herself to keep looking at the dirt below her, but the monster forced her to look into his eyes._

" _You've fought the Master for far too long," Norton said. "Just the fact that he brought in someone as sophisticated as me to help with your submission… That's saying a lot."_

" _I will_ never  _submit to him, or to_ anyone _!" Felicity spat, eyes glowing as she growled at the monster._

 _Norton's lips formed a cruel smirk. "I've decided to change tactics," he said, releasing her chin. Felicity snarled at him, the animal inside of her making her pull at her restraints. For the first time in her life, she was ready to kill_ _someone._

_She watched as the cell door opened yet again and this time two hybrids entered the small dungeon...along with little Jimmy._

_Felicity's heart plummeted down to her stomach and her chest constricted._ No _._

" _'Licity?" Jimmy whimpered, tears falling down his cheeks. Felicity stared at the little boy, no older than five and her throat suddenly felt thicker._

" _What are you doing?" she asked, mouth dry as she watched Norton step towards the little boy, placing his hand on top of his head._

" _It seems as if torturing_ you _didn't do much good," Norton mused sadistically. "I figured that you might give in if we have some fun with someone else..."_

" _No!" Felicity screamed, tears stinging in her eyes as she saw the glint of a knife appear. Jimmy was crying openly, saying her name over and over again. "He's just a boy! A_ child! _He hasn't even turned into a wolf yet! Please just leave him alone!"_

" _There is a solution,_ Dear _," Norton hissed, grabbing Jimmy by the hair, yanking his head back, his knife settling at the base of the boy's throat. "_ Turn _," the monster said._

" _I- I..." Felicity stared at Jimmy, whose eyes were shut tightly. "_ Please... _" she finally sobbed. "I'll do_ anything _– I'll turn, just… Just don't hurt him."_

_Norton smirked, but Felicity focused on little Jimmy. The boy was trembling as he held in a sob, not daring to move because of the knife that was still pressed against his throat._

" _Look at me, Jimmy," Felicity cooed, trying to calm her voice as tears fell down her cheeks. "Focus on my voice."_

_The young child opened his eyes that had been shut tightly, green irises meeting Felicity's blue ones._

" _Everything is going to be okay," Felicity said, forcing herself to smile._

 _Norton snorted, "Yes. It_ will  _be."_

Slash!

"No!"  _Felicity screamed, sobs wrecking her body as she watched Jimmy be thrown to the floor in front of her, blood oozing from his throat. His eyes were still wide open when his breathing stopped and Felicity forced herself to look away from his dead body._

_She felt her restraints being removed, her knees hit the dirt floor as she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Moving toward the little boy, she placed his head in her lap, crying over his body as she brushed his hair from his face with trembling fingers, her tears falling on him._

_Her anguish at seeing the innocent child murdered in front of her eyes slowly began fading into something else entirely. She tightened her grip on Jimmy's body slightly when she heard one of the hybrids move closer to her. There was ringing in her ears and suddenly a familiar warmth began to fill her. The pain was turning into anger, and her anger was turning_ her _._

_She had sworn that she would submit; sworn that she would turn into a wolf and let them give her whatever it was they gave people when they turned them. But Norton had killed the innocent child anyway and now Felicity knew that deep down, she would never forgive herself if she just gave up her soul to the monster who was doing this._

_She lifted her head as she stood up slowly, eyes glowing as she felt her bones begin to break._

-§-

"No, no, no!" Felicity screamed, twisting and turning on her cot.

"Felicity, it's just a nightmare," Oliver whispered. "Wake up." He tried to put his hands on her shoulders to keep her still, but she shrugged him off with her supernatural strength.

"Jimmy, no!" Felicity cried, tears streaming down her face as she pushed at Oliver.

"Felicity!" Oliver called loudly, shaking her form when he noticed that her claws were beginning to extract from the tips of her fingers. If she continued having this nightmare, he didn't know what was going to happen. Briefly, he glanced over toward his bow and arrow, wondering if he should have a weapon close by, but as soon as the thought had crossed his mind, he forced it away. This was  _Felicity_.

"Felicity, please wake up," he said again, leaning down so that he could speak directly into her ear. Her hands that had previously been clutching the bed moved to his upper arms, gripping him so tightly that he was sure she was drawing blood. The erratic breathing slowly calmed though and the pain he had felt on his arms began to gradually fade, replaced by a light stinging. He whispered her name in her ear again, quietly willing her to wake up. His nose brushed against her cheek and he honestly felt almost like a creep for inhaling through his nose, taking in her scent. It was almost as if he could sense her terror and it made him sick to his stomach.

Suddenly, Felicity shot up from the cot, a half-strangled cry escaping her lips. Oliver pulled back quickly so that she wouldn't hit him, but he was still sitting on the small bed next to her as Felicity let out a couple of harsh breaths, her eyes glowing golden.

"Shh..." Oliver said, reaching for her cheek. He brushed away strands of hair from her face, forcing her to look at him. "It was just a dream," he told her again, his voice calm even though his heart was beating loudly. Felicity breathed out harshly, turning her head into his neck. For a moment, a slight fear gripped him when he felt something sharp graze his neck. He froze, thinking that she was trying to bite him, but then he felt her nuzzle her nose against his skin instead. Something cold slipped down his skin and he realized that they were her tears. That knowledge only made him hold on to her tighter.

"You're going to be okay," he told her. "It's going to be all right."

"Oliver," Felicity cried, squeezing her eyes shut as she held him close to her.

"I'm here," he repeated, softly kissing the top of her head. "It was just a nightmare."

Minutes that felt like hours passed. Oliver kept holding on to Felicity as she cried against his chest. Her sobs turned into soft cries before finally turning into sniffling. Not knowing what else to do or say, Oliver just rubbed her back and held on. Whenever Felicity was ready, he knew that he would be there to listen to her. As he felt Felicity relax against him, Oliver wondered to himself whether the woman had fallen asleep in his arms. Just as soon as he had thought it though, Felicity's grip on his shirt tightened slightly and she lifted her head to look at him, eyes still filled with tears.

Oliver breathed out, not finding any words to say. He wanted to ask her what she had dreamed about, but at the same time he didn't dare risking pushing her away.

"I'm sorry," Felicity finally broke the silence.

"Felicity," Oliver sighed. "There's nothing to be sorry for."

Felicity shook her head, looking away from him. "I never wanted you to know," she told him.

"About the nightmares or about Jimmy?" Oliver asked bluntly, regretting it the moment he saw her flinch. "Sorry..."

"No, it's okay," Felicity said. "I would have told you sooner or later… I just never knew where to begin."

"How about when the nightmares began? I've slept down here before and you've never..." Oliver trailed off, not sure how to tell her that he had become so aware of her that even when he had slept down in the lair with her he had woken up by the slightest movement she had made. How was he supposed to tell her that he somehow felt it in his heart when she so much as frowned in her sleep?

"After the Dodger," Felicity admitted. "I… I suppose that I maybe should have told you that I knew him from  _before_."

Oliver nodded slowly, rubbing Felicity's arm. "I figured as much from how he was talking about you," he told her. "Was he there when you were turned?"

"He was one of the monsters who tortured me," Felicity said. "He was the one who finally made me turn into a wolf so that they could inject me with that serum or whatever it was that they used to turn me into a wolf."

"I don't understand," Oliver frowned.

"A werewolf needs to be in his or her wolf-form when they are injected with the Master's serum. Whatever it is made out of, there must be at least a drop of His blood in it for the werewolves to be sired," Felicity explained. "Norton made me turn into a wolf, even though I had been refusing for months."

"You could stop your transformation?" Oliver asked, this time feeling something akin to awe and pride toward his friend.

"I had learned to control myself better through sheer stubbornness," Felicity shared and Oliver almost smirked when he noticed how her lips curved upwards slightly. "Of course, that was what lead to my entire pack being killed in front of me."

"Felicity, it wasn't your fault," Oliver tried, but Felicity shook her head.

"Oliver, there were  _kids_ involved… Jimmy, he–" She cut herself off, swallowing thickly.

"Who was he?" Oliver asked quietly after another moment.

"He was just a little boy," Felicity said. "He was nowhere near turning and Norton– He slit his throat in front of me, after I promised him that everything would be okay. The last thing he heard was a  _lie_  that came out of my mouth, Oliver. How am I supposed to live with that?"

A tear slipped down her cheek again and this time Oliver reached up to wipe it away. He kept his hand on her cheek and brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. "We can't keep living in the past, Felicity," he told her, knowing that he was being a hypocrite for saying such a thing. "I'm sorry about everything that the Master and his people put you through and I'm sorry about Jimmy and his family… I'm so sorry that all of that happened to you, but–" He took a deep breath, not really knowing how to say it without sounding awful. "All of those things. All of those mistakes and all of that heartache… They made you the woman that you are today," he said. "And the woman that you are today is the woman who is going to bring down the monster that calls himself the Master and she is going to save thousands and thousands of innocent people, along with wolves who never wanted to be a part of the things that are happening now. I understand that you're hurt and angry – I am too about a lot of things that happened to me over the years – but  _please_ , don't be afraid to share your pain… At least not with me."

He took a shaky breath, looking down at her where she remained in his arms, looking up at him. His heart was beating wildly in his chest again and he felt goosebumps spread across his skin when Felicity moved a little closer to him, her face inches from his. He could feel her hot breath against his lips and for a second, he let his mind wander to those dreams that he had had about her in the beginning of their relationship. His eyes felt incredibly heavy all of the sudden, his mind registering that during this entire conversation, Felicity had been in his arms, in his lap, and so close to him that her body heat was spreading to him.

Her hand rested above his heart and she leaned just a little bit closer. Oliver's breath hitched in his throat because he didn't know what she was going to do. For a moment, he tensed and he was certain that Felicity felt it because she stopped moving, her eyes narrowed as she searched his eyes. It felt as if years passed and she just looked at him before sighing, almost to herself, before finally lowering her head onto his chest, pressing her forehead to where her hand had rested a moment ago.

"Don't be afraid to share your pain either, Oliver," she told him, her lips brushing against his skin, making him feel warm all over. "Everything you just said, applies to you as well. If you ever need to talk, I'm here, and I promise you that I'm going to be more open about things that are bothering me from now on…"

"Good," Oliver spoke, his voice husky. "And thank you."

He felt Felicity smiling against his chest and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on her just a little.

"What a pair we are," Felicity mused quietly. He wasn't even sure he had been meant to hear her. "A broken hybrid and a damaged hunter, taking comfort in each other… As  _friends._.."

Oliver felt as if she had added that last part just so that things between them wouldn't become awkward. He didn't know how he felt about it though, because a part of him felt like this  _thing_ between him and Felicity had surpassed friendship a while ago.

"I never would have expected this, when I let you join our team," Oliver said. "I never expected you to become so important…"  _To me_ , was left unsaid, but he hoped that Felicity understood him.

Her arms wrapped around him and he felt her press a kiss to his heart, "You are a good man, Oliver Queen _._ "

"You are an amazing woman, Felicity Smoak," Oliver returned, pressing his lips to the top of her head again.

They stayed like that for a good while, not speaking about anything. Oliver held on to Felicity until she finally began drifting off to sleep again and when he was sure she had fallen asleep, he laid her down on the cot again. He couldn't just leave her though, so instead he texted Thea and told her that he wouldn't be coming home tonight. Glancing over at Felicity, who seemed to have finally fallen into a dreamless sleep, he got himself settled on the med-bay again. A part of him wished that he would have had the courage to sleep next to her, but he wasn't sure that he was ready for that. No matter how close he had gotten to Felicity, he knew that a part of him felt something more for her. He wasn't ready to explore that yet and honestly, he wasn't sure he ever would be. There was no way of knowing for sure what was going to happen when they finally confronted the Master and so many things could change or go wrong alone the way. It was better to keep a safe distance between himself and Felicity, at least for a little while longer. If anything, it was for her own protection.

No matter how many times he told himself that he would open up more to the people around him, he always ended up pushing them away in the end because it was easier than letting them in. Felicity had gotten close and he knew that he wanted to share his past with her, but he just couldn't bring himself to think about it sometimes. He knew though, that if he ever had one of those days that all he could think about was Lian Yu or Hong Kong or Russia, he would tell her as much so that she wouldn't think that he was having any problems with her.

Oliver sighed, looking over at the blonde hybrid who was sleeping across the room. She looked so peaceful now.  _Beautiful_ , even.

With that final thought in his mind, Oliver closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww... Oliver... And Felicity is breaking my heart! What did you guys think of the little glimpse into her past? And then the little Olicity sweetness in the end... Damn, I almost wish I wasn't a sucker for the slow burn, but unfortunately, you guys will have to hold on for a little bit longer! We're officially past half the story and things are going to start getting more intense - Story wise, because I think things between Oliver and Felicity already are intense, don't you? :)
> 
> Either way, please do tell me what you thought about this chapter in general and which part that was your favorite! :) Thank you so much for reading and I promise I'll do my best to update sooner this time around! Love you all! xx


	17. The Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Roy Harper crashes one of Oliver's hunts, Felicity is forced to take matters into her own hands and finally deal with the soon to be werewolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short note (because I feel awful for not updating faster!)! I'm so sorry to have kept you guys hanging for so long! Real life once again got in the way and I'll never be able to tell you guys just how sorry I am for not updating as regularly. I'm hoping to making up for it with this 11k+ chapter! :)
> 
> There will be another note in the end with some info, but for now, just enjoy!

**Hunted**

 

_Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with._

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Wolf**

 

Oliver inhaled the cold night air through his nose. The smell of speeding cars and rain washed over him and he couldn't help but think about how it had been way too long since he had been on a proper hunt like this. A hunt that didn't have anything to do with the Master, or finding out what the Undertaking was; a hunt that was all about killing the monsters that prowled the streets at night, killing innocents.

This week had been a busy one in general and Oliver felt as if he really needed to get out on the streets to relieve some of the tension that had been setting in him. Ever since that night in the Foundry when he had woken Felicity up from her nightmares, the young woman seemed to be more focused on her work too. They didn't talk about that night more than Oliver simply asking her if she slept well and her telling him that she hadn't had any nightmares since then. It made him feel good that he had been able to comfort her, but at the same time he couldn't stop thinking about her choice of words as he had been holding her. The fact that she had pointed out that they were taking comfort in each other, and that they were somehow a _pair_ after all, made him feel a little confused. The confusion came from the fact that he somehow felt even closer to her on an emotional level, even though he would normally have pushed her away after such a statement. He couldn't afford getting attached to anyone else because he couldn't deal with losing anyone else right now.

“ _Are you going to stare out at the street dramatically all night, or are you going to get moving soon?_ ” Felicity spoke through the comm-link in his ear, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Oliver shook his head, not commenting as he turned around and started running on the rooftop, gaining speed before jumping from one roof to another.

“ _Oh, wow. Of course you're going to show off your incredible parkour skills!_ ” Felicity commented next and he smirked, sensing that she was being sarcastic. “ _If I was just allowed to patrol with you, I would show you some of my own moves, I swear… And by 'my own moves' I clearly mean my skills in hunting, and not anything else that can be misinterpreted!_ ”

“ _This commentary is highly amusing_ ,” Tommy piped up on the other line.

“ _Tommy!_ ” Felicity giggled and Oliver could have sworn that he heart her deliver a punch because his friend groaned out in pain.

“ _Focus_ ,” Diggle said sternly, but there was no hiding the amusement in his own voice.

“ _Sorry_ ,” both Tommy and Felicity mumbled.

Oliver fought back a grin and then jumped off of one of the buildings, turning mid-air to release an arrow, using the line released with it to pull himself up over the next ledge.

“ _Show off_ ,” muttered Felicity again.

“Status, Felicity,” Oliver said as he finally came into position, looking over the park where they were suspecting a lone vampire was killing innocent women during the night.

“ _From the cameras installed down there, I can't see anything suspicious,_ ” she shared. “ _That suggests that the vampire might be working around the park, luring women into the woods to finish them off in there… Which is disgusting and really creepy._ ”

“In other words…?” Oliver asked.

“ _If you see someone staying close to the shadows or acting creepy, then that's most likely the Dark One we're looking for._ ”

“ _Or it could just be_ _a_ _creep,_ ” Tommy pointed out. “ _I mean, it is the Glades after all._ ”

Oliver silently agreed, deciding that it was better not to speak. He needed to remain focused on the task of finding the vampire who had been successful in killing three women before the SCPD started looking for him. This Nightcrawler needed to be apprehended and by that, he meant that he needed to eliminate him.

It felt good to be back; to focus on something other than the Undertaking. He felt more at ease despite the dangers that he knew laid ahead of him. These dangers, however, were _normal_ because it wasn't about some hybrid army or some Master who was pulling strings that he had no way of finding. This was something he knew how to do, something he needed to do.

It took him about another half-hour to locate the vampire and it took half of that time to eliminate him.

“The vampire has been exposed of, _”_ he said into the comm-link.

“ _Yay!_ ” Felicity said happily, but then backtracked. “ _I mean, good job! Job well done. Mission successful._ ”

He couldn't help but smirk. She was just so quirky sometimes and he found it endearing, almost. The fact that she was able to make him smile after everything he had been though meant a hell of a lot to him. He knew that she had become an essential part of his life that he didn't think he could handle losing. Oliver wished that once everything was over, she would agree to stay with him… And the team.

Movement that he saw from the corner of his eye had him turning quickly, grin dropping into a serious expression when he raised his bow at the intruder. Oliver had just been about to growl at the person to step out of the shadows when he caught a glimpse of the color red. He frowned, recognizing that color from the night that he had saved the young man from being brutally murdered for being something that he wasn't even aware of that he was.

“Roy Harper,” Oliver spoke, his voice disoriented from the device he was wearing. “Why are you following me?”

He knew he had had a nagging feeling all week long. There had been times when he had wanted to tell Felicity to monitor the areas around him when he was patrolling because of the fact that something in his gut told him that someone was watching him from afar. Yet, he had never brought it up and he supposed that maybe he should have. After all, Roy Harper was supposed to be someone that Felicity would handle, when she decided that she knew how to approach him.

“I've been looking for you everywhere,” Roy said, taking a step toward him. His body wasn't giving off any nervousness, but Oliver could see it in his eyes that he was a little intimidated. Without thinking, Oliver lowered the bow and took three large steps towards Roy, towering over him in the shadows, making sure his face was well-hidden.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked again, this time harsher than before.

“Get away from him!” another voice sounded suddenly, startling Oliver. He took a step back from Roy and turned around, only to see his sister standing just a couple of feet away, a cellphone in hand.

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, knowing that he would be risking exposure if he showed Thea that he knew her name. What was she even doing there? Had Roy dragged her into something? Why had Roy been looking for him?

Those were questions that Oliver wanted to have answered, although, he knew that tonight was not the night for that.

“You shouldn't be here,” was all he said before he turned around and hurried to the metal steps on the side of the building, jumping up on the ledge. He climbed them at record speed before running over the rooftops, jumping from one building to the other, getting out of there as fast as humanly possible.

* * *

Felicity tapped her foot against the floor, nervously biting her lip as she gripped her chair tightly, swirling around in it once or twice before again settling her gaze on the door. Tommy and Diggle were standing tense close by her and she knew that they were just as worried as she was. Neither of them knew what to expect when Oliver finally returned to the lair, but they had all heard him speak Roy Harper's name and then later heard Thea's voice in the middle of it all.

“Do you think he'll be mad?” Felicity wondered, a frown on her face as she swirled her chair around again.

“Probably,” Diggle nodded, sounding calmer than he probably was. Neither of them had seen this coming. If it had been just Roy approaching him, things might have been a little different, but now that Roy had somehow dragged Thea into it all… Well, Felicity knew for certain that Oliver couldn't be too happy about that.

“Ten bucks says he'll break something,” Tommy joked lamely, but Felicity shook her head at him.

“I'm not taking bets on the level of Oliver's anger,” she said. “Believe me, I've been on the receiving end of that and it's something to prepare for, not joke around about.”

Tommy swallowed then, “Noted.”

About five more minutes went by before the door to the Foundry opened and Oliver walked down the stairs in a hurry. Felicity opened her mouth to ask him how he was, just as he let out something way too similar of a growl and grabbed one of the desks that he used to play around with new weapons on and flipped it over, sending tools and parts flying everywhere.

“Hey!” Felicity protested loudly before she could stop herself. “I know you're angry but there's no need for you to ruin the place I live in!”

Oliver took a couple of deep breaths as he turned around to face her. For a moment she regretted having spoken, but instead of showing that, she stood tall and narrowed her eyes at him. Oliver's jaw was clenched and his hood had fallen off, making it even more evident how upset he was over the fact that Thea was involved in something with Roy Harper.

“I'm sorry,” he finally breathed out, taking another deep breath through his nose as he approached her. “I'll clean it up before I leave.”

Felicity didn't let it show that his apology had actually surprised her. She only nodded and glanced toward Tommy and Diggle who weren't as good as her at hiding their reaction. If Oliver saw the stunned look on their faces, he didn't comment on it, nor did he encourage any further comments on the matter.

“What are we going to do?” he asked instead, changing the subject back to the problem. “I had a feeling that someone was following me around, but now that I know that it's Roy and Thea, I don't know what to do.”

“Wait a minute. You ' _had a feeling_ _'_ and you didn't say anything?” Diggle frowned. “Oliver, how many times to we have to talk about you sharing crucial information that can jeopardize the mission with the team?”

“I know I should have said something, but I thought that I was just paranoid,” Oliver admitted.

“It wouldn't have surprised me and I probably would have thought that you were,” Tommy shrugged. “Either way, we now know that your suspicions were true and now we have to deal with it.”

Felicity listened to them intently as she looked at her hands. She turned her gaze back at them only when she felt Oliver staring at her.

“What should I do?” he asked her, something in his voice telling her that he was asking almost desperately for help. It seemed like he really didn't know what he was supposed to do about the situation that had occurred and she couldn't exactly blame him for it. She wouldn't have known what to do either, if it had been her sister that she had been trying to keep safe for years.

“Maybe it's time for me to bring Roy in,” Felicity finally replied, not seeing another option anymore. Besides, there was a full moon coming up and she could tell by the way that Roy was acting that his body was starting to change, even though it was slowly.

“You mean tell him what he is?” Oliver asked, his voice quiet, contemplative.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded slowly. “I don't see how anything else would stop Roy from searching for something that will end up getting him killed in the end, just because he doesn't understand.”

“It's the best option,” Diggle agreed, noting that Oliver was still looking reluctant. “Oliver, I understand that you're worried about Thea, but we all knew that it was inevitable in the long run. It's only a matter of time before she puts two and two together herself.”

“Maybe Felicity can try to convince Roy that it's better to keep it a secret,” Tommy suggested. They all looked at him. “I mean, if we convince him that all he'd be doing is put Thea in danger… The kid loves her, I mean. I know that I've been struggling to keep things from Laurel sometimes, but in the end it's worth it if I know that she's at home safe.”

“I'll try,” Felicity finally said, but Oliver was still looking uncertain.

Nevertheless, he bowed his head in a curt nod, “Okay.”

Half an hour later, Tommy and Diggle both went home. Oliver was sitting in a chair, tinkering with some arrows, looking deep in thought as Felicity quietly observed him. She understood what he was going through, on some level. He had been trying to keep Thea safe for so long by making sure she didn't know about his nightly activities. She understood that he was worried and if she really knew him as well as she thought she did by now, she knew that he wouldn't be getting much sleep until this entire ordeal was settled.

Absentmindedly she had stood up, following her instincts as she approached Oliver silently, but not silently enough so that he wouldn't hear her. She came to stand in front of him as he turned in the chair, lowering his head just as she came to stand between his legs. His hands were on her hips and his forehead rested against her stomach. Felicity placed her hands on his shoulders lightly taking another step closer to him. She felt the pressure of his fingers on her waist and she hoped that she was once again giving him what he needed: _comfort_.

Felicity boldly ran her fingers through his hair, amazed by the soft texture; something which she couldn't recall if she had ever done before. She knew that they had been close, held each other when they had both needed it and she could remember one time a good while ago, when Oliver had been in a similar position, hugging her around her stomach. It was an intimacy which caused Felicity's breath to hitch. She had never felt this strongly toward anyone ever before and she wasn't really certain what it meant yet.

“Oliver,” she whispered his name, placing her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look up at her. Worry was shining through his eyes still and she could see that he was exhausted. “Oliver, I promise that I'm going to do my best to convince Roy to keep Thea out of it all,” she said, her voice strong this time around and she truly hoped that her confidence shone through.

“I know,” Oliver replied, his voice a little raspy. “I trust you.”

And with that, Felicity expected him to pull back from her, but he surprised her yet again when he only tightened his grip on her a little more and once again rested his forehead against her belly, allowing her to run her fingers through his silky hair.

-§-

_Beep. Beep. Beep–_

“ _Hello?_ ”

Felicity swirled around in her office chair, eyes widening. She hadn't actually expected him to pick up when she had dialed his number.

“ _Hello? Is someone messing around with me? Know that it isn't funny_ ,” Roy practically growled into the phone.

“Mr. Harper,” Felicity spoke quickly. “Hi, uh, my name is Felicity Smoak. We met at some event a couple of weeks back, I don't know if you remember me? I'm Oliver's assistant– Oops, I mean _Mr. Queen's_ assistant.”

“Uh… _Felicity, right…_ ” Roy mumbled. “ _Where did you get my number?_ ”

“Oh, I found it online,” she said, leaning back in the chair, a little more relaxed now. “It was an easy thing to do.”

“I… _I don't really understand why you're calling me though?_ ”

It was spoken as a question and Felicity swallowed, her throat suddenly tight. How was she supposed to phrase herself to not sound completely off her rocker?

“I would like to meet up with you,” she explained quickly. “There is something very important that I need to speak to you about.”

“ _Uh, listen Lady, this is weird as it is – me being called up by my girlfriend's brother's assistant – and I don't want any trouble. Can't you just tell me what it is over the phone?_ ” Roy asked, sounding exasperated.

“It's not something I can just discuss over the phone, _Roy_ ,” Felicity hissed into the phone, looking around to make sure that no one was around. Oliver had gone out to a late lunch with his mother and Walter, after a lot of protests from his side. He hadn't wanted to leave Felicity to deal with everything alone, but in the end he hadn't really had a choice but to go with Moira.

“ _Okay,_ fine!” Roy practically exploded. “ _Whatever it is, I'm at my place today. I don't have any other plans for the next hour or so, so if you really need to talk to me about whatever it is, I'll be here_ ,” he said, giving her his address.

Felicity scribbled it down quickly and nodded to herself. She probably would have been able to find it herself but this was a lot faster so she wouldn't protest. “One more thing, Mr. Harper,” she said as Roy started to hang up.

“ _What?_ ”

“You can't say a word of this to Thea,” Felicity told him. “I'll be seeing you in twenty minutes,” she added, hanging up before he had a chance to protest.

Exactly nineteen minutes later, Felicity stood in front of a small house in the middle of the Glades. It was still early so she wasn't afraid of any Dark Ones attacking her in the middle of the day. She walked up to the house and knocked a couple of times before ringing the doorbell and a minute later, Roy opened the door for her. His hair was ruffled, as if he had just gotten out of bed and now Felicity realized why he had been sounding so irritated on the phone. She had probably woken him up from his sleep and she felt sorry for him because she knew just how much trouble she had had sleeping before she turned for the first time.

“Hi,” Felicity said, raising her hand in an awkward wave.

“You can come in, you know,” Roy said, rolling his eyes as he stepped aside. Felicity took a step into his home and glanced around, her gut tightening with what she was seeing.

The place that Roy was living in couldn't be called anything other than… Well, a dump. It reminded her of the places she had stayed hidden in after having escaped from her captors and she wondered if he was really living here alone.

“Where are your parents?” she wondered, but she already knew that they probably weren't in the picture.

“Why do you care?” Roy narrowed his eyes at her.

“I wanted to see if you really were living alone or if that's just something you made up so that you wouldn't have to face what you are,” Felicity stated bluntly, taking a seat on the worn out couch. She crossed her legs and watched Roy expectantly, but he wasn't taking the bait.

A moment of silence passed before Roy sighed, “What are you doing here?” The question was asked in tiredness and exhaustion and she knew for sure that she had indeed interrupted his sleeping session.

“There are some things I need to talk to you about,” Felicity replied. “First and foremost, the fact that you have been following the Arrow around and pulling Thea into the chase.”

Roy's eyes narrowed, “How do you know about that?”

“Because I work with the Arrow,” Felicity shared, “and quite frankly, considering that Oliver Queen is my boss at my day job, it makes you involving Thea in all of this even more of an inconvenience.”

Roy eyed her skeptically. “You're telling me that _you_ are working with the Arrow?” he asked, sounding like he wasn't believing her at all.

“Is that so hard to believe?” Felicity frowned.

“Yes,” Roy answered. “There's no way and I don't know how you–”

“How else would I know that the last thing the Arrow said to you before he ran off the night that you finally found him, was 'You shouldn't be here'?” Felicity interrupted, being met with another deep frown. “I could sit here all day and ramble up proof, but I suspect that it'll be enough if I just told you that I know _exactly_ how that night went down when the Arrow saved your life, because _I_ was the one who figured out where you were being held.”

She could see Roy looking uncertain and she couldn't help the sigh that escaped her again. Looking at her watch, she decided that she probably had a little more time, so she began telling him just how she managed to locate where he was being held and how the Arrow had saved his life. When she was done, Roy looked more awake than ever before and he was staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“You really are working for him,” he said, sounding as if he was in a daze.

“Correction: I work _with_ him. I'm his partner,” she said, deciding that it was better not to expose Diggle or Tommy by sharing that Oliver actually worked with more people than just her.

“That's… Just _wow,_ ” Roy breathed out, still looking amazed. Soon though, his amazement turned into yet another frown. “Why did you come here today then? To tell me to back off? Did he send you here?”

“Sort of, but not really,” Felicity bit her lip. “I volunteered to come and talk to you.”

“Why?” Roy demanded.

“Because there is more to the story,” she shared. “This isn't about the Arrow or you looking for him. This is about _you_ and what you're about to become.”

“You're not making any sense,” Roy told her.

“What I'm trying to say is that you know that there's something else going on around the Glades. That the criminals in this part of Starling City are far worse than any of the others,” she began slowly. “You've seen things… Things that you don't really want to believe, which is why you've suppressed them.”

“I know that some of them are more violent than others, but it's the Glades, as you said. Why should there be something special about them?” Roy asked.

“Because they aren't _human_ , Roy,” Felicity finally said. “They're supernatural creatures… Wolves, shapeshifters, _vampires_.”

Roy stared at her blankly again, “I think you've read one too many of those _Twilight_ books.”

Felicity stood up at the same time as he did, knowing that he was about to tell her to get the hell out of his house. She didn't want to let him get that far though, so she immediately began talking again. “You saw something that night on the train, Roy!” she exclaimed. “You know it, I know it and the Arrow knows it. When he came to save your life, you saw something happen and there must be a reason that you started looking for answers from a vigilante instead of going to the police!”

Roy narrowed his eyes at her and she could see his chest heaving, as if he was suddenly having trouble breathing. “What I saw that night might not have been natural but what you're saying isn't making any sense either,” he snapped at her. “I gave the police my statement and they just patted me on the shoulder and told me that I was suffering from _shock_! They were covering something up and it made sense that the Arrow might know _more!_ ”

“The police force is corrupted,” Felicity told him. “They cover up everything that the People of Darkness do, because it's easier than having to put themselves in danger if they cross some of the more dangerous ones. Detective Lance is probably the only one who isn't corrupt there because he doesn't know about the Dark Ones, or he's still living in denial over them.”

“How do you even know about all of this? Why did you come here, spinning stories?” Roy asked, although, even Felicity knew that she was getting through to him. There was too much of what she was saying that was making sense.

“Because as I've said: I work with the Arrow. His mission isn't to take down the bad guys in Starling City, but rather to bring down this secret organization of Dark Ones that I've told you about,” Felicity explained. “And also,” she hesitated, “because I'm a hybrid myself.”

Before Roy had the chance to open his mouth to protest to her statement, Felicity's eyes shifted. They changed from that baby blue color that was her normal one, into the golden hue that came with her hybrid form. She could feel the veins around her eyes starting to appear as well and when Roy staggered back, she knew that she had broken through his walls on this matter.

“How…? How can you–?” Roy swallowed thickly, grabbing a hold of his head as he slumped down on the couch again. Felicity's features slowly returned to her normal ones and she walked over to sit next to him on the couch. She could tell that he wasn't afraid of her, like Tommy had been, and she knew that the reason for that was because on some level all of this was making sense to him.

“Why are you telling me this then? Why are you telling me about these things? About _yourself_?” Roy wanted to know.

“Because, Roy,” Felicity said. “And I'm not trying to rip off _Harry Potter_ here, even though it may or may not sound like it–”

“Felicity just say it,” Roy begged.

“Right, sorry,” she sheepishly grinned. Taking a deep breath, she took a hold of his hand and looked him in the eyes. “You're a werewolf, Roy.”

Felicity was glad that Roy didn't pull his hand away from hers, because she knew just how important it could be for a wolf to maintain physical contact in order to share an honest moment with someone else. She explained to him about the full moon that was coming up and how she believed that he was getting closer to changing for the first time. He questioned how she would know and she explained the basic symptoms of it all to him, being careful not to give too much detail to scare him away from it all now that she had gotten through to him. Felicity told him that she wanted to help him prepare for his first turn and mentor him in a way because she was more experienced than he was. She knew what it was like to lose control in when one turned for the first time and she didn't want him to go through what she had gone through.

“How do we do this then?” Roy wondered quietly when he finally agreed that he was on board. It seemed like he was more understanding and welcome to this change in his life than she had been in the beginning. Of course, Felicity suspected that Roy still didn't understand the seriousness of it all and she knew that she hadn't actually told him _everything_ there was to know, but some things would just need to take time.

“I have an idea,” Felicity told him. “But it's kind of radical on my part, so you'll just have to trust me.”

“Radical _how_?” Roy raised an eyebrow.

“It involves me doing some stuff, basically… I will explain it all in more detail after I've talked to the Arrow about it too, but you're going to have to promise me that you will stop involving Thea in all of this until the Arrow agrees that she should be brought in on it all,” Felicity said.

“You expect me to lie to my girlfriend?” Roy wondered.

“I'm expecting you to keep your girlfriend _safe_ ,” Felicity corrected. “There are so many things you need to learn, Roy. Until then, you wouldn't be able to protect her from the Dark Ones even if you wanted to. It's better that she doesn't know about all of this.”

“She'd be in danger?” Roy asked, immediately tensing up. Felicity recognized the signs immediately. It seemed like the wolf part of Roy had found something similar to a mate in Thea; perhaps, she even _was_ his mate. That meant that the mere thought of something happening to her would have Roy in agony and he would protect her with his life, if needed.

“Yes,” Felicity said. “She'd be in danger because she wouldn't be able to handle it. At least not right now. When we bring her in on it, we'll do it together and you won't have to worry about her running off and into danger. For now, you just keep her safe, but you train with me in secret and I teach you the best I can.”

“And the Arrow?” Roy questioned. “Where does he fit in all of this?”

“I'm his partner, which means that if you become my partner, you'll be his also by extension. Either way, you're probably going to meet him soon, if my plan works out,” Felicity said. “So, are you in?”

She held out her hand for Roy to shake. The young man looked at it for another moment before grasping it in his own.

“Okay, I'm in.”

-§-

Felicity could feel Oliver observing her as she began packing her bag. She didn't want to point it out to him, but ever since she had shared her plan with the team, he had been awfully quiet. A part of her wanted him to say something, although, an even bigger part was grateful for him not saying anything to try to stop her from doing what she was about to do. Diggle and Tommy had been louder at protesting, though, eventually she managed to convince them that this was the best option for them all.

“I've located a small warehouse that no one seems to be using, just out of town,” Felicity said, ignoring the sounds that the chains she was putting in the bag were making. “I think two bottles of liquified wolfmist will be enough to keep me weak since it isn't actually a full moon.”

“Felicity,” Oliver interrupted. She turned to look at him and he watched her for another moment before sighing. “Why?”

The question hung between them and even though she had explained the 'why' to both Tommy and Diggle while Oliver had been present, she felt like she needed to talk to him alone and make him see just where she was coming from.

“You know why, Oliver,” she told him with a sigh. “I convinced Roy to listen to me and this way, I'll be able to show him just what he'll be going through when he turns for the first time.”

“But isn't it different for you now? You're no longer just a wolf,” Oliver stated.

“Yes, as a hybrid, I can turn into my wolf form at will,” Felicity nodded slowly. “That's why I haven't been turning into a wolf every full moon that I've been with the team. It could have gotten messy otherwise…”

“But what does that mean for your transformation then?” Oliver wondered.

“It means absolutely nothing. I'll be able to turn into a wolf as always. The pain of turning will just be… A little amplified since I haven't turned fully since I became a hybrid. It's the perfect opportunity to teach Roy what's going to happen with him,” Felicity explained.

Oliver's blue eyes bored into her. “You're going to be in pain then,” he said, sounding almost bitter about it all. “Is there no other way?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Felicity said. “A little pain will be worth it if I can stop Roy from turning into something horrible. Wolves can go mad with their first transformation and shift into blood wolf territory.” She zipped up the bag and walked over to Oliver, placing her hands on his tense shoulders. “It's a small price to pay, Oliver,” she reminded him again. “I'll turn, you'll be there to keep Roy company and prove to him that I actually _am_ working with the Arrow and then I'll be chained up for a few hours before turning back to human form again. Simple as that.”

“Simple as that,” Oliver repeated. Felicity took a deep breath and held it when his hand came up to touch her cheek. “I just hate the fact that you're going to be hurting.”

“I've been through worse, Oliver,” she said calmly, even though her stomach felt like it was flipping.

“So all I'm going to do is make sure that Roy stays put?” he asked her, brushing his thumb against her cheekbone.

“That and make sure I don't get out of those chains,” she replied. “I used to be able to control my wolf form before I became a hybrid, but it's been a while, so I'm taking the necessary precautions. Otherwise I'd be able to turn down here every night without ripping you guys apart.” An almost grim smile settled on her face. “Not that I've ever taken a life...” she muttered quietly to herself.

“I'll be there, Felicity,” Oliver said, leaning down to press a light kiss against her forehead. Felicity closed her eyes and sighed, feeling a little more relaxed than she did a minute ago.

-§-

Oliver stepped off of his motorcycle when he reached the warehouse that Felicity had given him directions to. She wasn't far behind him, following with her mini-cooper but when he had told her that they may as well drive there together, she had protested loudly, telling him that Roy was about to officially meet him for the first time and that the Arrow stepping out of a mini would probably not be what he was expecting.

Oliver looked toward the warehouse, which was basically just a simple garage in the middle of a field with woods surrounding it, and he couldn't help but wonder just how Felicity had found this one. A low whistle made him focus and he turned, his hand already on his quiver but he stopped himself from taking out an arrow when he saw Roy standing in front of him.

“She wasn't kidding when she said you were going to be here tonight,” Roy appraised, staring at him. Oliver shifted as he turned on the voice-disorientation-device.

“Mr. Harper,” he acknowledged with a curt nod, lowering his bow. “I believe Ms. Smoak will be here shortly.”

“Dude, I still can't believe all of this shit,” Roy said, walking closer to him. “Did she tell you what she's going to do?”

“It's why I'm here tonight,” Oliver spoke as calmly as he could, but his fingertips rubbed together as he began getting restless. Felicity better be here soon because he didn't know what he was supposed to say to Roy at the moment. The entire plan she had shared made him feel uneasy and he didn't want her to go through with it, even though he understood why she had to; for both Roy and herself.

Luckily, Felicity arrived a minute later and Oliver let out a low sigh, glad that she was there. As soon as she got out of her car, she began complaining about traffic and called Oliver – _the Arrow –_ over to help her carry the bag she had packed earlier in the lair. She greeted Roy and told them both to follow her as she led them to the small storage facility.

As soon as she got in, she grabbed the bag from Oliver and he watched her curiously as she began rummaging through it, taking out various items as she placed them on the floor. She sped around the place at an inhuman speed, securing chains and placing bottles filled with wolfmist on the floor. Oliver wanted to ask if she needed any help, but she seemed to be having it all under control as she worked. Instead, Oliver stood beside Roy, watching and waiting for what she was going to do next. It wasn't until she began removing her clothes that he averted his eyes and urged Roy to do the same by snapping at him unceremoniously. When Felicity was finished, she gave them the okay to look and Oliver's mouth went dry when he saw the lack of clothing on her body. She was only wearing a sports bra that she used whenever they were training and some spandex training shorts. Her feet were bare and Oliver couldn't help but stare at the slim, but strong muscles that moved as she lowered herself into a crouch. A moment later, he realized that the reason that she had lowered herself was because she was strapping the chains to her ankles and then some other chains to her wrists. She pulled at the chains, making them rattle, sending a chill down Oliver's spine. He knew that this couldn't be easy for her. Felicity was all about people choosing their freedom and chaining herself up like this must remind her about her days in captivity. A part of him wondered whether that was also a reason that she'd wanted him to be here tonight; so that she wouldn't have to go through those horrors alone like she had back then.

“Okay,” Felicity finally sighed. “I've chained myself up and I'll be drinking wolfmist to weaken myself. During your first transformation Roy, I'll be there with you and you'll have to drink wolfsbane, which is the herb effective on wolves.”

“What does it do?” Roy wondered, taking a small step closer.

Oliver watched Felicity as she picked up one of the bottles. “There's nothing better than a demonstration,” she shrugged, looking him dead in the eye before gulping down some of the beverage.

Instantly, she began coughing, a sizzling sound echoing in the room as the liquid burned her skin and her throat. Oliver took a step toward her, but she help up her hand and shook her head at him.

“I need to show him,” she said, her voice raspy as she took another mouthful of wolfmist. Oliver forced himself to look away, images of a chained up Felicity in some underground facility appearing in his mind. He knew that he had never gotten a visual of it, but the things that Felicity had told him had made it easy enough to imagine, and he didn't like it one bit.

Oliver glanced toward Roy, who was staring at the blonde, terrified. Felicity kept drinking and soon enough, the burning seemed to become too much for her because she let out a painful moan.

“That's enough,” Oliver finally snapped. “You're in control of your wolf form, you told me so. You don't have to do this.”

“I haven't turned in _months_ ,” Felicity countered, red blisters appearing on her fingers and her chin where the liquid had trickled down. She already seemed to be healing though, which was the only reason that Oliver wasn't losing his shit on her. “There's no telling if I'll be in control or not.”

“Felicity...”

“I _have_ to do this!” she protested, her eyes flashing to that golden hue that had been taking his breath away these last few months. “Drinking wolfsbane will be pretty much like drinking battery acid,” she then told Roy, her eyes still glowing. “It's going to hurt, but you have to do it, because otherwise you're going to risk getting out and I'm going to be forced to stop you.”

Roy looked like he was going to be sick any minute, but he nodded. “What happens next?” he asked.

“The transformation will take hours,” Felicity said, wincing slightly as she moved to sit. Oliver could have sworn that he'd heard something crack, but he couldn't be sure. “Your bones will break and reform to take the shape of a wolf's. That's where the pain comes from. The more times you turn, the more time that passes, the less it will hurt. Eventually, it will be like nothing more than a gunshot and it'll pass the second you're on four legs.”

“How long do you think your transformation will take tonight?” Roy wondered, looking down. Oliver looked over Felicity's already tired form and he couldn't help but wonder the same.

-§-

Felicity's senses were heightened and she could pick up on their emotions more clearly because they seemed to be reeking of them. Roy was feeling almost ashamed and she wondered whether it was because he felt some kind of guilt for putting her through this. She wanted to tell him that this wasn't his fault and that she had made the choice to go through this again. It was something that needed to be done and she knew that she had gone long enough without turning. Considering the threat of the Master looming over their heads, she needed to be ready in every way she could so that she would be able to help Oliver and the team when it came down to it.

“I don't know,” Felicity answered Roy's question. “The last time I turned, it only took me about five minutes, but this time around, I can't be sure.”

She could feel tension rolling off of Oliver as she replied. As always, he was a tornado of emotions; never settling on just one that would be easy to read. How many time would this man continue to amaze and surprise her? She didn't like using her over-sensitive hybrid senses on him, but it wasn't like she had a choice right now. Concern and anger were pretty much shooting straight out of his pores and Felicity inhaled deeply through her nose, taking it all in. The fact that he was worried about her made her feel all warm inside, but before she could even turn her attention to him to assure him that she was fine, a bone in her arm snapped, making her scream out in agony.

-§-

“Felicity!” Oliver screamed, immediately taking two steps in her direction.

“Stay away!” she yelled back, just as another sound of bones breaking reached his ears. Oliver flinched when he saw her arm sticking out at a sick angle but he forced himself to keep looking.

“Oh my God,” Roy mumbled under his breath. Oliver could hear him repeating it over and over again and it was just making Oliver feel even more stressed out.

“The transformation is starting,” Felicity gasped as her kneecaps seemed to break. She fell down on all four, groaning and moaning in pain, her eyes shut tightly. “It's going faster than I expected. Maybe it doesn't matter that I haven't turned in months– _Ah!_ ” She screamed again and Oliver could see tears running down her cheeks as the pain became too much. He was helplessly watching her, not being able to do anything to ease her agony.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Roy chanted beside him, grabbing his head as Felicity's spine cracked.

Oliver watched then, half in horror and half in awe as Felicity's whole body began changing.

“Get out of here,” Felicity managed to whisper, her voice weak just before she snapped her head up at them, eyes glowing, fangs out. There was a trickle of saliva running down her chin and before Oliver knew it, her entire face began shifting. Her small nose grew out, shaping a snout and her fangs seemed to become even sharper as all of her teeth became sharp canines. Small patches of fur began appearing across her skin and for a moment it looked almost like a hallucination before it manifested completely. Her legs that had been broken in two changed into hind legs and her nimble fingers and soft palms became paws as her arms changed as well. Oliver heard the ripping sound as Felicity's new form became too much for the small amount of clothes that she had been wearing and he could see the scraps on the cold floor below her.

Oliver couldn't remember if he had ever seen a pack wolf turned. The past few years his life had been filled with them, but they had always been in human form when he had taken them down. All the wolves on Lian Yu and later in Hong Kong had been blood wolves, creatures that looked like half-beast, half-human, eyes blood red and crazed. Felicity though… He had never seen anything like her as he watched the white fur finally stop growing.

It was almost eerie, the way that she seemed to be glowing. She was bigger than any of the wolves that he had seen on television, but she didn't look like a monster; like he would have expected her to. There was no doubt that she was a wolf, through and through and Oliver couldn't help but remember Norton's words from the night that he had saved her life. The monster had called her _majestic_ and Oliver hated himself for agreeing with him, but there really was no other word for it as he watched Felicity straighten up, shaking her fur like any other dog would do. He couldn't help but stare at her still glowing eyes and he wondered, how much control she had over her form. She had told him and Roy to get out and she was still chained up, but Oliver wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now that he was looking at her.

Apparently, it was possible for her to take his breath away in wolf form as well because he wasn't actually sure if he had ever seen something more beautiful than the animal in front of him. He looked at her again, meeting eyes that seemed to be wise beyond their years and a shudder ran through his body because he just couldn't help it. He had never been this close to a Dark One without actually aiming to killing it and he found himself taking a step toward her.

He stopped in his tracks, however, when he saw her nostrils flare. A moment later, Felicity lifted her head and _howled_ , making Roy take a step back. Oliver, though, stood rooted in place, not being able to take his eyes off of her. He took another step toward her and the white wolf flashed her sharp teeth at him in a snarl. Oliver only paused before taking another step toward her. He wasn't afraid because he was sure that somewhere deep down Felicity was still there. After all, this was a part of her and he had decided long ago that he would accept everything that this woman had to offer.

The bright golden eyes flashed again and Oliver was almost certain that for a moment, they had turned back into Felicity's baby blue hue. He took that as a good sign and walked even closer, strapping his bow around his shoulder before taking off one of his gloves and reaching out for her with his hand. The wolf tensed for a moment, but Oliver was certain that recognition flashed in her eyes again. He took another slow step closer, hand still out and he was pleasantly surprised when the wolf took a step forward of her own, bumping his palm with her nose. Oliver smiled under the hood as the tension eased out of her and he couldn't help but take another stop closer, running his hand over the fur on her head. Felicity's wolf ears fell flat against her head and all the pain that she had been going through mere moments ago, was forgotten, it seemed. Oliver wondered if it was okay for him to be doing what he was doing, but he figured that if she didn't like it, she would be snarling at him again and making it known somehow. She seemed comfortable though and he was glad. He petted her for a little while, quietly running his hand through her soft fur before she lowered herself and laid down. Oliver took that as a sign and finally stepped away from her, walking toward Roy, who had quietly been watching the entire exchange.

“Let's step outside. Give her some privacy,” Oliver said. He was calm now that he knew that Felicity wasn't in pain anymore and he figured that it was better to go outside so that he could talk to Roy. Felicity would want him to and he needed to make sure that Roy had understood everything that had happened tonight, even though a part of Oliver himself wasn't sure he knew.

As soon as they stepped out of the garage, Oliver closed the door and watched as Roy lowered himself to the ground, burying his face in his hands. “How the fuck am I going to go through that?” the young man whispered. “It was quick for her because she's done it so many times, but it's going to take _hours_ for me.”

“We'll be with you,” Oliver assured, his voice masked as the Arrow's. “Felicity will turn with you and guide you.”

“I would never want to force her to go through that again,” Roy shook his head. “She explained it to me and I know that as a hybrid, she has a choice. She doesn't have to turn, but she did it for me tonight so that I would see.”

“She's a good woman,” Oliver said, eyes darting to the metal door that was keeping Felicity locked inside.

“I get why you like her so much,” Roy stated, making Oliver snap his head in his direction. His heart seemed to flutter at Roy's words and he stared at him, glad that his hood was covering his look of surprise.

“What?”

“I mean, I get why you like her so much, like, having her as your partner and all that,” Roy explained. “I know for sure that if I was fighting monsters every night, I would want to have someone like Felicity to watch my back.”

“I have others too,” Oliver found the need to share.

“Others?” Roy frowned. “Felicity didn't tell me.”

“She probably thought it was up to me to decide whether or not I wanted to tell you,” Oliver shrugged. “The only thing she wanted was the opportunity to teach you and help you.”

“So what does you telling me that mean then?” Roy wondered. “Does that mean that I'm in?”

Oliver almost smiled. “It means that I'm trusting Felicity's judgment and deciding to give you a chance. You're going to have to prove yourself to actually join my team, but if Felicity trains you and you become a part of her… _Pack_ , or whatever, I don't see why I wouldn't invite you in. Besides, I have a feeling that you might become a valuable asset, in the future.”

“So, what? I'll be like any other weapon for you?” Roy asked, making Oliver frown.

“It came out wrong, I think,” he said. “What I meant was that you'd become a valuable asset to my team, as a member. I think you have a good soul, Roy Harper, but I've just recently began opening up my mind to Dark Ones being _good_ , so just like Felicity, you're going to have to be patient.”

Roy nodded, finally seeming to understand where Oliver was coming from. “You know, I never took you for being so talkative,” Roy then mused.

“Felicity's babbling seems to be contagious,” Oliver smirked.

“A part of me wants to know how you caught it, but I'm not going to push my luck tonight,” Roy said, his tone almost teasing. Oliver shook his head and was once again glad for his hood, because once again he couldn't seem to stop the smile from appearing on his face. Another part, though, was thinking about what Roy's words insinuated. He didn't deny it to himself that he was attracted to Felicity and that he had developed feelings for her, but he still wasn't sure what those meant and he wasn't willing to just risk everything they had built so far on something that he wasn't certain of.

“I get why I can't tell Thea,” Roy then said, looking up at Oliver. “I know that she loves me and I know that she would want to help me through all of this, but it would just be putting her in danger. I love her too much to risk it though, so I promise that I'll keep her out of it.”

Oliver swallowed thickly when he looked into Roy's eyes, seeing that the young man truly did love his sister more than anything, if he was willing to keep such a big thing from her in order to keep her safe. “That's a wise decision,” Oliver told him. “If you let Felicity help and train you, you'll eventually get a hold of your anger, much like her. I've seen people I know turn into monsters when their wrath became too much and I wouldn't want that to happen to you.”

“Thank you,” was all Roy said, as a comfortable silence fell between them.

-§-

The quietness was broken three hours later, way past the witching hour when a pained howl ripped through it. Oliver was instantly on alert, as was Roy, as they stood up and hurried to the metal door. Oliver unlocked it and threw the door open, only to see the white wolf hunched down in pain. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was. He didn't think twice about moving toward Felicity, though, Roy stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“Look,” he said, staring at Felicity.

Oliver turned his attention back to the wolf, who now seemed to be emitting energy. It looked almost like a glowing force field around her form and a moment later, Oliver heard the familiar sounds of bones cracking again. The turn back to human form went a lot faster and soon enough, Felicity was laying in a heap on the floor; her body completely nude and shaking, despite the sweat that was covering it. Oliver moved quickly, running to her bag as he took out a blanket that he knew that she had brought with her and with two big steps, he was by her side, covering her with it. She was still radiating heat and Oliver could see that her eyes were still shut tightly, almost as if she was bracing herself for another wave of pain.

“Felicity,” he whispered, brushing away damp hair from her forehead. “Look at me. You're okay now. You're okay.”

It took another minute for her body to stop shaking and when it did, her eyes fluttered open and her piecing blue eyes met his.

“Oliver,” she breathed out, sounding relieved. “Take off my chains, please,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She looked exhausted and Oliver didn't let go of her as he reached under the blanket, careful not to touch any naked part of her as he removed her shackles.

“Is she okay?” Roy spoke up from behind them and Oliver gave him an affirmative nod. He was glad that Felicity had been quiet when she had whispered his name, because he wasn't quite ready for Roy to know his secret identity.

“Take me home,” Felicity said then. “I'm so tired.”

“I know, I know,” Oliver nodded, pressing his lips to her forehead as he ran his hand through her tangled hair. “I'm going to take you back to the lair.”

He told Roy to gather up all the chains and things while he carried Felicity out to her car, placing her in the back seat. He would have to return to get his bike tomorrow, but he was sure that it would be okay there over night. Felicity was curled up in a sitting position, still naked, but covered with the blanket and Oliver watched as Roy shyly approached her.

“Thank you,” he told her. “Thank you so much, Felicity. I really don't know what I would have done if I hadn't known about all of this whenever I turn.”

“It's okay, Roy,” Felicity replied tiredly. “I'm going to give you a call tomorrow, after I'm feeling better.”

“Okay,” Roy nodded before turning back toward Oliver. “If you want me to, I can take your bike back into the city and drop it off somewhere? I can put it in the back of my pick-up?”

“All right,” Oliver found himself agreeing. “Just leave it in the alley that you saw me in a couple of nights ago and I'll get it later.”

Roy nodded but then stopped when Oliver reached out and offered him his hand. He hesitated only for a second before taking it and shaking it as some kind of silent agreement seemed to form between them.

Oliver got into Felicity's car and started it, trying not to think about how Felicity would be commenting on how funny he was looking in full Arrow-gear while driving her mini if she wasn't exhausted.

The drive back to the Foundry was quiet enough and Oliver was glad that Diggle and Tommy weren't there tonight. They had left him a message, telling him that Diggle had finished patrol without any problems. There had been a run-in with two vampires but he had taken care of it and Tommy had been doing what Felicity had taught him and monitored it all from the lair. Oliver picked Felicity up and carried her to the secret entrance, making his way down to the Foundry as she nuzzled her nose against his neck, obviously tired beyond belief. For a moment he thought back to how she in her wolf form had allowed him to run his fingers through her fur and he wondered whether she would remember any of it now that she was human again. She had told him that she was usually in full control of her wolf form, which must mean that she was still connected to her humanity even when she shifted. Did that mean that she knew everything that she was doing as well? Did she mean it when she touched his palm with her nose and when she had let him touch her? Even though he wasn't a mind reader, he felt as if that was something very intimate. It had been as if he had been able to feel the energy rolling off of her body and straight into his and for a moment he had almost felt like he was connected to her in a way that he never would have expected.

“I'm going to need to put on some clothes,” Felicity told him, her voice still quiet. It brought him back from his thoughts though and Oliver nodded as he finally lowered her down on her cot.

“What do you need?” he asked her, lowering his hood as he watched her pull the blanket tighter around herself.

“Just a tank top and some panties,” she told him and she was clearly still tired because she didn't even blush when she said it. Or had changing into an animal done something to her modesty? After all, she had basically been stripped naked in front of him, even though he hadn't been able to see any human attributes in the form that she had been in. Oliver's mind went to the dreams he'd had about her for a moment before he quickly forced himself to shut down that part of his brain. This was no time to be thinking about sex dreams.

He walked over to her drawer and rummaged through them, pulling out a pair of black cotton panties as well as a matching tank top. For a moment, he glanced at her pajamas, though, he knew that she probably wouldn't want them considering the heat that she was radiating.

“Here,” he said, handing them over to her before he turned around to give her some privacy. He began removing his hood completely, leaving him only in the leather pants and the short-sleeved black shirt that he usually wore underneath. Turning around to look at her again, purely because he wasn't able to help himself, he bit his lip when he saw her pull the black tank down her body. She had her back turned toward him, but he could still see the faint outline of her breast as she twisted slightly to pull her hair out of the top. She had already put on the panties, but they didn't cover much of her ass and Oliver almost hated himself for staring at her.

His pants felt a little tighter then and a lump formed in his throat, it seemed, when Felicity finally turned around to face him again. It was as if she could sense the affect that she was having on him because her eyes traveled over his body, settling for a few seconds too long on the lower part of his anatomy. Oliver shifted before clearing his throat, making her eyes snap up to connect with his eyes. It looked as if she had never been more awake than in that second, but Oliver knew that it would be wrong to do something now about the tension that had only been growing between them. He figured that Felicity was in a vulnerable state at the moment and he wouldn't want to take advantage of that, no matter how much his body seemed to be craving hers right now. His eyes once again fell to her chest and he was surprised to see her nipples poking out slightly, and when he met her gaze again, he knew that Felicity knew that he had noticed. She didn't say anything though and neither did he. For another moment, they only stared at each other and it seemed as if Felicity was waiting on him to say something or make a move, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

After another moment, she turned away from him again, gathering up the blanket that she had been wrapped in before and pulling it up over her chest, as if to hide from him. The spell that they seemed to have been under was broken instantly and Oliver hated himself for possibly having made her feel uncomfortable now. He was such a mess and she had been though enough that she obviously didn't need his crap to be put on her shoulders too.

“What you did tonight,” he began then, making her look over at him. “I didn't like that you forced yourself to go through all that pain.” It was a confession that meant more than what the words said, and Oliver found himself hoping that Felicity would understand without him having to explain himself further.

“The physical pain was nothing compared to the memories of being chained,” Felicity said calmly, her eyes cold like steel as she met his gaze. He didn't like the detachment in it and once again, he acted on instinct when he stepped up to her, taking the blanket from her hands slowly. He wondered if she would push him away, but she only stared at him as he draped the quilt over her shoulders, grabbing it's edges as he pulled her toward him. She took a short step forward before her chest connected with his and Oliver sighed when he felt her subtle breasts press against his own solid chest when he lowered his head slightly, to look her in the eyes. His arms were around her, his hands pressing against her upped back to keep her against him. He hoped that he was giving her the one thing he knew that he needed whenever he felt like slipping back into the cold person he had been before he had met her; the one thing that only Felicity seemed to be able to give him recently: _comfort_.

She was tense for another moment and Oliver worried that the memories that she had been forced to re-live had torn her down worse than he had first imagined. He knew that the transformation all on its own had been painful, but he knew after what she had said that she had gone through something even worse. It wasn't difficult to imagine the things that she had told him about her captivity; about the torture and an innocent child being killed in front of her to force her turn. He was certain that there was even more to her story that she hadn't shared yet and he could only hope that she would open up to him, with time, as he was itching to do to her as well.

Soon enough, he felt Felicity beginning to relax against him and then her hands reached out and her palms laid flat against his abdomen. She was still warm and he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, his head still lowered. His forehead was resting against hers and the position was a little uncomfortable considering how much taller he was than her, but he didn't let it matter. He needed to hold her close, both for her and for himself and he needed to show her that he was proud of her in more ways than one for what she had done and gone through tonight and before they had even met. He wanted to tell her how much she means to him but he was scared to do so. The moment they had shared earlier had been loaded with tension and he knew without a doubt that she had been able to pick up on exactly what he was feeling for her. He still wasn't sure how he was supposed to act about it all and for the time being, it would be easier to let it be and see where their journey led them in the end.

“It'll be okay,” he whispered to her, his nose brushing against hers as they once again took comfort in each other. Oliver would never have expected something like that to be easy, but with Felicity, he wasn't surprised that it was a simple as breathing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To remove any confusion: No, they DID NOT KISS at the end. They were just holding on to each other and giving each other what they both needed. Oliver was connecting with Felicity on a deeper emotional level than he's ever connected with anyone and that truly means a lot for his character in this story.
> 
> Some quick information now. The next chapter is called "The Undertaking", which means that it will officially deal with who the Master is! Yes, you read that correctly, you will be finding out a lot of things in the next chapter which will be HUGE, both story wise and Olicity wise! It might seem strange considering that I've said that the story will have 31 chapters, but the thing is that chapter 18 will be "concluding" the first part of the story and immediately bring us into the next one in chapter 19. The action is not over and neither is the mystery, so don't be sad yet! ;) Either way, the chapter will be big, which means that I probably won't be able to get it out that quickly (not that I've been quick with updates, I'm sorry again.). I want to do it right without rushing it and we have a lot of things to deal with in one lone chapter because I just don't want to split it all up. The good thing with that will be that you'll get to read A LOT when the chapter finally comes out and I'm hoping it'll be worth it! :)
> 
> I really hope you liked this chapter! Oliver finally got to see Felicity in her wolf form and if you check out my tumblr "author12345" you'll see the cover pic I made for this chapter, as well as how I imagined Felicity as a white wolf! Thank you so much for being patient and thank you even more for reading! I hope it was good enough for you guys to leave a little comment because I would love you to bits and thank you forever if you did!
> 
> Lots of love,
> 
> Spicy xx


	18. The Undertaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn and Team Arrow is finally forced to face the threat of the Undertaking and the Master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and quick note! Surprise everyone! The new chapter of Hunted is here because Christmas came early! Happy holdiays to all of you and I'm going to wish you guys a happy new year as well because I don't know if I'll be able to post again before the new year.
> 
> This chapter is extra long and there are a lot of things happening, so I hope you guys are going to like it. Just know that this is not the end. Far from it actually, because we're only halfway through the story!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**Hunted**

 

_Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with._

 

**Chapter 18: The Undertaking**

 

Oliver laid flat on his bed in the Queen Mansion. He had been staring at the ceiling for the past hour, knowing that it was still too early to get up and begin his day even though sleep had long ago left his body. Instead, Oliver found himself thinking about the past month that had been filled with more Dark Ones than the two years that he and Diggle had been doing this alone.

Things were being set in motion and everyone on his team was on edge about it. Felicity had taught Tommy the best she could with the computers and this past week she had taken to coming out with him in the streets during patrol and have Roy join up with them so that she could use that moment to train with him as well.

The still-not-turned wolf and Felicity had been working on sorting out Roy's emotional problems as well, using the abandoned garage that she had transformed in over a month ago to let him work his issues out. Felicity usually kept her business with Roy to herself when it came to the others in the team, not wanting them to think too much about the details and all that, but she regularly gave Oliver updates on how things were going. According to Felicity, it was important for Roy to accept his past, which included the part where he had been abandoned by his parents to fend for himself. Felicity's meetings with him seemed to be helping because every time that Roy had joined them during patrols, he seemed to be more in control of himself. There were no longer any violent outbursts or spontaneous decisions made; he was calm and followed Felicity's lead, through whatever it was she was leading him through. Oliver had asked Felicity about it and whether it had something to do with her being his Alpha now. Felicity said that she didn't believe in one wolf being above the other, but that every pack needed someone who was more experienced to lead the rest. In her mind, since it was just her and Roy, she was the only one who could fit into that role at the moment.

A large part of him knew what she was saying made sense, but another small part couldn't help but feel a little strange about the way that she had expressed herself. Usually, Felicity referred to them all as Team Arrow and Oliver had just assumed that she would begin to refer to Roy as being part of that group. It would have been an easy thing to accept for Oliver, because it actually made a lot of sense for her to bring in the young wolf that she had taken under her wing into their operation. However, Felicity had instead begun talking about her and Roy being a part of a pack and for some reason, Oliver was feeling a little left out of it, which only made him feel like a jealous child. It was a feeling that he hated and he had been thinking about actually bringing it up to Felicity soon, merely because he knew that he should be able to without causing any problems.

The transformation that she had gone through when she had decided to help Roy and the emotions that had followed the moment that had transpired between the two of them down in the Foundry afterward, had only made Oliver and Felicity grow closer. For some reason, Oliver felt connected to her at a much deeper level and somewhere in his mind, he kept trying to tell himself that he needed to give himself some space and finally figure out what it was that he was feeling for the woman. They talked about things more and it wasn't just about work. Felicity had been a hundred percent right when she had said that they were two broken people who were taking comfort in each other, but after the things that he had begun to feel for her more strongly after her transformation, Oliver knew that it was more than that. Now, whenever he saw her, his mind returned to the way that they had held each other that night and he couldn't help but recall how she had allowed him near, even in her wolf form. He hadn't dared to ask her if she actually remembered it, but he knew by the way that he sometimes caught her looking at him that she did. Oliver couldn't remember the last time that he had allowed himself to actually bond this strongly with someone and he was well aware of the fact that this thing that was developing with Felicity, meant a lot more than some simple partnership.

His heart fluttered every time he saw her and chills ran up and down his body whenever she entered a room. He couldn't know for sure if she felt it too, but he was kind of hoping that she was, because maybe she would know what to do about it. The red-blooded male in him sure as hell knew what he wanted though, if his dreams that had become even more vivid since that night were any indication but Oliver once again forced all those inappropriate images of Felicity down and away from his mind.

There was a name for the feelings, and Oliver knew it. That, however, didn't by any chance whatsoever mean that he was ready to deal with them yet, even though he was aware of the fact that he needed to sooner rather than later. Felicity could be like an open book sometimes, but recently, she had been getting more and more difficult to read. Perhaps she was masking her face on purpose, not wanting him to see what was actually going on through her mind? That was part of the reason that Oliver wasn't ready to talk to her about it yet. He didn't want to ruin the good thing that they had going, by actually telling her that he had feelings for her.

That, along with the growing threat of Dark Ones in Starling City was definitely two of the reasons that Oliver found himself sleepless.

-§-

Felicity walked as quickly as humanly possible, balancing this quarter's financial and business reports in her hands as well as her bag while trying to hold on to her phone which was placed between her shoulder and her cheek _and_ trying to calm Oliver over the phone.

“ _I just don't understand why you have to do this today,_ ” Oliver sighed, sounding more exasperated than ever. “ _With everything going on, everyone else has taken the day off from their daily jobs to work in the Foundry and try to locate the Master._ ”

“Oliver, Tommy's daily job is working a _nightclub_ , Diggle is pretending to be your _bodyguard_ and since _you_ decided to call in sick, he's pretty much excused from coming to work,” Felicity said. “Besides, I'll be there as soon as I can.”

“ _You're supposed to be_ my _Executive Assistant, Felicity_ ,” Oliver said. “ _Isn't there some unwritten rule about you automatically having a day off when I'm not at the office?_ ”

“I don't actually think there is,” Felicity smiled, a small giggle slipping through her lips.

“ _So you're just going to drop off those reports and then you'll be here?_ ” Oliver asked.

“Yeah, I promise,” Felicity said, hurrying to the elevator. “Hold it, hold it, hold it!” she called out when she saw the doors beginning to close. The person inside the elevator stuck their hand out, effectively stopping the doors from closing.

“ _Did you make it?_ ” Oliver chuckled in her ear.

“Yes!” Felicity exclaimed as she got into the elevator, turning to face the person who had held the door open for her. “Thank you so much– Oh!”

“ _Felicity? What happened? Is everything okay? Felicity!_ ”

Felicity heard Oliver's almost frantic voice in her ear,, though her eyes remained focused on Moira who was standing in front of her with something that at first sight looked like an unreadable expression. When Felicity focused a little more though, she instantly sensed that something was wrong. Every part of Moira was screaming out the fact that something was up and that the woman was on a breaking point.

“ _Felicity, what's going on?_ ” Oliver demanded, sounding as if he was ready to jump through the phone in order to get to her.

“It's your mom, Oliver,” Felicity said, catching Moira's eye as the woman stared at her, still looking shaken. “Everything is fine. I'm going to have to call you back though.”

“ _My mom? Felicity?_ ”

“I'm going to call you back, Oliver,” Felicity repeated quickly again. “I'll see you later.”

“Okay… _I guess. See you later,_ ” Oliver responded, not sounding the least happy about how the conversation was ending.

As soon as Felicity shut off the phone, she turned to Oliver's mother. Before she could open her mouth to speak though, Moira had reached out and pressed the emergency stop of the elevator. The lights dimmed as the elevator came to a halt and Felicity looked up, only to see that it was stuck between two levels. She looked to Moira again, and the older woman was once again just staring at her, but this time, her eyes were slightly narrowed.

“Mrs. Queen?” Felicity asked quietly, her entire body tensing. Whatever it was that was going on, she didn't like it at all. Something was most definitely wrong.

“I need to have a very important conversation with you, Felicity,” Moira said, her voice not showing the nervousness that her body was emanating.

“And you needed to do it _here?_ ” Felicity frowned, confused.

“It's the only place that I can be sure that he hasn't bugged,” Moira replied calmly. “Let's just start this all off by saying that I know.”

Felicity felt her frown deepening, “What?”

“I _know_ , Felicity,” Moira repeated. “I know what you are and I know what Oliver does when he's always running late to the office.”

Felicity's stomach dropped as she stared at Moira. She couldn't be saying what Felicity thought she was saying, could she?

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Felicity tried weakly, but the look of determination on Moira's face told her that it was no use. Instead of trying to deny it, Felicity felt something akin to fear grip her. She needed answers and she needed them immediately. How did Moira know? She was supposed to be an innocent – or as innocent as possible – human who had no idea about anything regarding the Dark Ones. Now she was telling Felicity that she knew about her and that she knew that Oliver was the Arrow. It didn't take very long for her fear to turn into determination. She needed to know what Moira knew and she needed to do so because she had to protect Oliver and the team at every cost.

Felicity's entire demeanor changed then. A calm settled over her as she took a step toward Moira with narrowed eyes. “Just what is it that you _think_ you know?” she asked.

“About the People of Darkness,” Moira replied, not looking the least phased. “I know that Oliver is the Hunter and I know that for some reason, he had been working with _you_ , a _hybrid_.”

“Well,” Felicity clicked her tongue, “I suppose I now know why you hate me so much.”

“I don't hate you, Felicity,” Moira sighed. “I was trying to keep an eye on you for my son's protection. I had you pegged the moment you stepped into Queen Consolidated because I learned long ago how to see the signs of a Dark One.”

“Oliver doesn't need anyone's protection,” Felicity said firmly.

Moira sighed again, “Don't you think I realized that when I finally found out that he was the Hunter?”

“He's called the Arrow now,” Felicity corrected without a beat passing. “So what does this mean then? Why are we having this conversation if you already know everything?”

“Because I don't think that _you_ know everything and I want to come clean,” the woman admitted. “I've seen the way that Oliver is with you and I see the way that you look at him when you don't think anyone is watching. You've saved Thea's life several times and I don't doubt that you've had a hand in keeping Oliver safe these past months that you've been here,” Moira said. “He trusts you, which means that I have decided to trust my son's judgment and do so too. It isn't easy for a hunter to trust a Dark One, so if he truly does believe that you're good, I see no reason for me not to do so as well.”

“We aren't getting anywhere with this,” Felicity said, shaking her head. “You keep talking in code. Yes, Oliver and I trust each other, we have for several weeks now, months even! Why are you coming forward now?”

“Because I've been a part of something _horrible_!” Moira snapped. Felicity froze then, looking at her as Moira's eyes filled with tears. “I was scared and I thought I was protecting my children, but things have already gone too far. I'm going to turn myself in and confess everything, but I want you to know so that maybe you can make Oliver and Thea understand… They will never forgive me otherwise.”

Felicity stared, “Moira… What did you do?”

As Moira began telling her story, Felicity felt as if she was going to be sick. The truth about Robert Queen, the plan that had been developing for years and all the lies that Oliver and everyone else had been told were coming out. Felicity knew that Moira had made mistakes and a part of her wanted to hate her for it, but they really were _mistakes_. She had thought that her children needed protecting from everything that was happening with the Dark Ones, though, she hadn't realized that everyone else was going to suffer as well.

“The Undertaking,” Moira said, a tear rolling down her cheek that she didn't even bother to wipe away, “has already been set in motion. I'm sorry for taking this long to build up the courage to come forward with the truth, but I'm hoping and I'm praying that you, Oliver and the rest of your friends might be able to stop it.”

“Moira, if you come forward with this to the press, you're going to be arrested,” Felicity said, stepping closer as she placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder, trying to provide some comfort. “You should be the one to tell Oliver and Thea, not me. They will understand if you explain it the way you did just now, to me.”

“It's already too late,” Moira told her. “I've scheduled a secret press conference and in a few hours, everyone will know the truth. They'll be able to evacuate the Glades and maybe we can save the innocent people. I have to do the right thing.”

“You had _years_ to do the right thing,” Felicity said, not being able to help herself. “You had years where you could have spoken up and maybe then things wouldn't have gotten this far.”

“I was scared and for that I will always live with regret,” Moira admitted. “Maybe if I surrender and give myself up to the police, I'll finally be forgiven for my sins.”

“Who is behind it then? Tell me and give me a lead that we can work on,” Felicity said. “I understand how it's all going to go down, but I don't know who the person behind it is.”

Moira stared at her, fear once again evident on her face as she took a small step toward Felicity, leaning over so that she could whisper the name in Felicity's ear.

The files that Felicity had been holding all along, dropped to the floor.

-§-

Tommy didn't really know why he had decided to go back to his old family home. He had been living with Laurel for months now and not once had he felt the need to go back to the mansion that he had grown up in. Maybe it was the fact that he had decided to finally get some of his things, but he supposed that that couldn't be given as an excuse since he was just wandering around aimlessly, avoiding his own room.

Instead, he found himself walking toward his father's office. Despite not having much contact with his dad, he knew that something had been off with him for a good couple of weeks. Felicity had told him that she found his father to be a little creepy sometimes and even though Tommy hated him from time to time, he didn't understand why Felicity had felt that way about him. Ever since that day, Tommy had had a nagging feeling that maybe his father was hiding something. Whenever Tommy had called him, the conversations had always been curt and Malcolm had always been busy with other things, even during the latest of hours.

Perhaps it was the fact that he needed answers that had made him call first to check if his father was there of not. Perhaps it was also the fact that he had learned that his father wouldn't be coming in until much later that he drove up there under the pretense of coming to get his things, just so that he would be able to look around without being disturbed.

A part of him almost wished that he hadn't gone looking for answers, because what he found in his father's study was more than he would have ever expected. He had gone through the desk, only to find a small, hidden latch that opened up hidden drawer. There, records and receipts of purchases had been hidden and just by skimming them over, he had been able to tell that something wasn't right. What he had found next though, was the really confusing thing. He had found Oliver's notebook; the one that Oliver had had with him for over seven years, that his father had given him. The notebook that had put Oliver on the road to coming back to Starling City in order to right his father's wrongs and make the city a safe place again for everyone, but killing the Nightcrawlers. When he had opened it though, he had instantly realized that it couldn't be the same book, because Oliver had been crossing out names on the list for over two years and this list was intact. Why would his father have the same list that Oliver had? What did all of this mean?

Tommy got his answer when he later found a secret door, opening up an arsenal of weapons, most of which were bows with arrows.

Black arrows.

-§-

Felicity sped through the streets in her mini, trying to get to the lair as fast as she could. With Moira's confession, she knew that she needed to share the news with the rest of her team, so she had sent out a text message to tell everyone to be in the Foundry as soon as possible. She felt almost as if she was ready to collapse when she finally got to Verdant and into the basement, all because she had been going over everything that she had found out a thousand times in her mind, trying to fill in the missing pieces of when it was all going to happen.

“Felicity, what is going on?” Diggle asked, uncrossing his arms from where he stood leaning against one of the pillars in the lair. Oliver was looking at her worriedly as well as she sped over to her computer and started searching for something.

“Felicity, you have to talk to us,” Oliver said. “What's so urgent?”

The door to the Foundry slammed open and they all turned at the same time, only to see Tommy standing there, panting. He held up a black arrow that they all immediately recognized and Felicity turned in her chair to look at him as he descended the stairs.

“My father,” he said, still out of breath. “He's the Dark Archer.”

“This day just keeps getting better and better,” Felicity groaned, rubbing her temples as she stood up to stand in front of Oliver and the rest of them.

“Wait, what do you mean your dad is the Dark Archer?” Oliver frowned at Tommy.

“I mean that I found this along with the same list that you have been using for over two years to hunt down Dark Ones in his office,” Tommy explained. “I came here as soon as I got Felicity's message because I had just been about to send you all one of my own to try and get everyone here.” Tommy then turned to Felicity, “Why did you call us here?”

Felicity closed her eyes before turning to Oliver, “I have something to tell you and it's not going to be easy to hear. You're going to have to listen to me until I'm done and then you can say whatever you want, okay?”

“Felicity,” Oliver stepped toward her, his expression worried. “You can talk to me.”

“Tommy's dad isn't only the Dark Archer,” she blurted out, eyes wide. “He's also the mastermind behind the Undertaking. Malcolm Merlyn is the Master.”

Felicity began retelling the story that Moira had told her, trying her best to explain everything that had happened since she got of the phone with Oliver about an hour or so ago. Oliver remained frozen where he stood, listening as Felicity told him that his mother knew about him being the Arrow and that she had cornered Felicity and confessed to being a part of the Undertaking. She watched as Oliver slowly lowered himself into a chair, staring blankly straight ahead. She could feel the emotional pain coming off of him and she hated that she was the one who was being forced to tell him about all of this.

“Your mom is planning on having a press conference today to reveal the truth on live television,” she said. “She's trying to save the people in the Glades who will be the most effected by the Undertaking.”

“Why would she tell you about all of this?” Oliver asked, sounding almost angry. Felicity stared at him again, sensing how he was about to lash out.

“She wanted me to explain it to you and to Thea, so that you would understand,” she tried, but Oliver pulled himself up and out of the chair. “Oliver, where are you going?” Felicity asked when he angrily pulled on his jacket.

“I'm going to go and have a conversation with my mother, before she fucks up everything,” he bit out, hurrying up the steps, ignoring his team when they called out after him.

When he'd left, Felicity turned to Diggle and Tommy, knowing that Oliver wouldn't come back until he made peace with what was going to happen to his mother after she confessed to her crimes.

“What are we going to do now?” Tommy asked, looking at both Diggle and Felicity.

“We're going to start working on stopping this thing from happening,” Diggle said, turning to Felicity. “Until Oliver gets back, we might be able to get something done. We might not have much time left, so there's no point in losing even more doing nothing.”

Felicity nodded, “We have work to do.”

-§-

Oliver stepped into his mother's office quietly. He had gotten there as quickly as he could, Felicity's words echoing in his head as he tried to make sense of all the lies that he had been told over the years. He knew that he shouldn't be angry at Felicity because she had nothing to do with it and he hated the fact that the news had come from her and not his mother.

“She told you, didn't she?” his mother asked from where she was sitting behind her desk. “Of course she did, otherwise you wouldn't be here.”

“She was supposed to, wasn't she?” Oliver managed to bite out, narrowing his eyes at his mother. “I can't believe it… So it's really true?”

He thought back to the moments before his father had killed himself. His words about how _they_ were using the dark as cover… It made sense that it had all been a code that he had been expected to understand. This wasn't some Dark One that was doing all of this, but rather a human who was trying to destroy the Glades were most of the Dark Ones spent their time. If, however, Malcolm managed to do what he had been planning on doing, there would be innocents caught in the middle and there was no way for Oliver to save them all.

“Oliver, you have to know that I am so, so sorry for everything,” Moira said, standing up from the chair. “I wish I would have had the courage to talk to you sooner about all of this, but I was just afraid.”

“You're going to be arrested,” Oliver stated. “The moment you tell the truth, you're going to be taken in and if I don't stop Malcolm, then he'll come after you.”

“I know,” Moira nodded. “I'm aware of the risks, but I have to do this. I have to make things right.”

“When did you find out about me?” he asked then, his hands balling up into fists.

“I think a part of me might have always known,” Moira admitted. “But I think the biggest giveaway in the end was Felicity. I knew what she was and from the way that you began talking about her as time passed, I knew that you must know of the People of Darkness. After that, it was the only thing that made sense.”

“You can't tell the world about them though,” Oliver said. “There will only be chaos then.”

“Yes, I know,” Moira said again. “I just want to save the humans. If there was a way to kill the Dark Ones without making the humans suffer, things might have been different…”

“Mom? Ollie?”

They both turned around to see a hesitant Thea standing in the doorway. Moira looked at Oliver, tears shining in her eyes again. “I called her and told her to meet us here. You should be the one to tell her about what you're going to do,” Oliver explained.

Moira seemed to hesitate, but eventually she nodded, motioning for Thea to come inside.

Oliver watched as his mother sat his younger sister down and began telling her story again. He watched as both women cried together for what they all knew was about to happen and Oliver felt tears stinging in his own eyes. He was going to lose his mother for the sins she had been committing for years and there was nothing he would be able to do to stop it. Oliver believed in justice though, which made this all the more difficult for him. He knew that his mother needed to face the consequences for her decisions, but at the same time, he knew that she hadn't had a choice in anything. She wasn't completely innocent but at the same time she wasn't all guilty either. He could only hope that whenever things went to court, the punishment for her deeds wouldn't be as hard, if he was able to stop the Undertaking from happening.

When it was time, Oliver and Thea both went with their mother to the conference. Before she took her place at the podium, she embraced them both and Oliver couldn't help but hold on to her for a little longer, not knowing when he would be able to see her again, if he made it though everything that was about to happen.

“I am so, so proud of you, Oliver,” his mother whispered in his ear before she pulled away from him and Oliver closed his eyes, as a single tear fell down his cheek.

-§-

“ _I have been a part of a conspiracy and lived in fear for so many years, that I can hardly remember a time in my life when I wasn't afraid for my life and the lives of my children. I am begging the police department to evacuate the people of the Glades in order to save as many lives as possible. There is an upcoming attack that will lay waste to that part of Starling City and the culprit behind the attack – the person who has been threatening me and my family for years – is_ Malcolm Merlyn _.”_

 

Felicity watched the computer screen with Diggle and Tommy next to her. She could see the camera flashes going off and the press going wild and Oliver embracing a crying Thea as their mother was apprehended by the police. She could only imagine what they were going through and her heart ached for them both.

When her phone went off, she looked at it quickly, only to see a short text message from Oliver.

' _T_ _ook_ _Thea home. Call Roy. She needs to be safe._ '

Felicity quickly called up the young wolf and told him what Oliver had instructed and Roy replied that he had seen Moira's confession on his TV at home and that he was already getting ready to head out to the Queen mansion. Felicity did the math in her mind and calculated the risks of them staying in the mansion, but her results told her that they would be safe there because the mansion was situated a bit further away from the city.

She could feel the anxiety coming off in waves from both Tommy and Diggle. It was only a matter of minutes until Oliver would be there and they set out to stop the Undertaking from happening. Felicity didn't know what she was going to say to him when she saw him, because she knew that he would be upset about his mother and angry about Malcolm. Then there was the whole Malcolm being Tommy's father. If they were forced to take down Malcolm in order to stop him, would Tommy hate them for the rest of his life?

The sound of the Foundry door opening snapped Felicity out of her thoughts. She turned her head in the direction of the door and looked at Oliver as he walked down the stairs, eyes downcast. Her stomach flipped and a lump formed in her throat when she saw the look of utter defeat and despair on his face when he was finally close enough for her to get a better look.

“Oliver, I'm sorry man,” Tommy was the first one to speak, approaching his friend with some uncertainty that probably couldn't be detected by anyone but Felicity. “I didn't know about my father… I swear I didn't.”

“It's not your fault,” Oliver spoke, but there was something off about his voice. Felicity knew that he was trying to cover up just how devastated he was about his mother's fate, but she was also aware of the fact that there were other things they needed to focus on at the moment. Still, she couldn't just let Oliver hold on to everything like this on his own.

“Are you okay, Oliver?” she asked, despite knowing that it was a silly thing to question.

Oliver finally looked at her and she saw the pain flashing in his eyes. Even though she had told herself that she knew how to read him by now, the rawness and emotion managed to take her aback.

“I will be,” Oliver said, “once we stop Malcolm.”

His words hung between them for a moment as silence filled the lair. A minute later, Tommy spoke up once again. “I can try to go see my father,” he said. “I can try to talk some sense into him.”

“Your father is doing all of this because of what happened to your mother,” Oliver told him. “He's still grieving and he thinks that by doing this, he'll be able to keep the rest of Starling City safe.”

“Does it really matter? Why he's doing this, I mean,” Tommy asked. “This attack that he has planned on the Glades won't only effect the Dark Ones, but it will be the cause of hundreds of innocent humans as well. We can't allow that to happen.”

“And if your father doesn't cooperate?” Diggle asked, looking at Tommy. “What do we do then?”

Tommy breathed in deeply as he closed his eyes. “We do whatever is necessary to save this city,” he said, his tone final.

Felicity shut her eyes as well, feeling the finality in Tommy's words. It seemed like they had the clear from him to do whatever they needed to stop Malcolm, but she couldn't say that she was looking forward to it. The tension was still thick in the lair and Felicity knew that she had to move things along. Moira's confession was bound to force Malcolm into retaliating, and if he really had everything figured out, there was no way for them to pinpoint exactly when the attack would occur.

“We're going to need to go over it all, one more time,” Felicity said, gaining the attention of the other three men. “We have to talk about Malcolm's plan and we need to figure out where he has that device hidden. Then we have to call Lance and get him to help us, because we sure as hell won't be able to do this alone,” she told them.

“You're right,” Diggle said. “We need to focus on figuring this out, as soon as possible.” He looked to Felicity again. “So, how does it start?”

Felicity ran her fingers through her ponytail, removing the fake glasses she had forgotten to take off completely since she'd gotten back from the office. “Well, from what Moira told me, the first part of the Undertaking is actually pretty simple,” she began. “Malcolm plans to let out a high frequency signal, that only Dark Ones would be able to pick up on due to their enhanced hearing. The police force – which by the way is apparently way more corrupted than I previously thought – has been ordered to drive around the city and inject the Dark Ones that are effected by the sound with vervain and wolfsbane that he has supplied them with and then gather them in an abandoned factory in the middle of the Glades that used to belong to Merlyn Global.”

“Did my mother tell you anything else about that part of the plan?” Oliver asked. “She didn't go into much detail during the broadcast.”

Felicity shook her head, “She didn't know when Merlyn was going to execute the plan, but I'm guessing that it'll be sooner than planned considering that he has people after him now that your mother warned everyone to get out of there.”

“Felicity is right,” Diggle said. “Merlyn will most likely move his plan up now that everyone knows. What I don't get is how the police force can be willing to risk the lives of so many innocents.”

“That's because they don't know the entire plan,” Felicity explained. “Moira told me that Malcolm lied to the force about the second part of the plan. They think that he's just going to kill the Dark Ones in the old factory by burning it to the ground, but what he's really planning on doing, is leveling the Glades with an earthquake machine that his scientists have spent several years perfecting.”

“He's going to create an earthquake?” Tommy asked, looking sick.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded. “He wants to make sure that the Dark Ones who reside in the Glades – the ones responsible for your mother's death – will never be able to hurt another person in Starling City.”

“This is all messed up,” Tommy said, running his fingers through his hair. “He's going to get everyone killed. If the vibrations spread… I don't even want to think about it.”

“Evacuations have begun,” Diggle pointed out, looking at Felicity's computer screen where the news had been left running. They all turned their attention to where the screen was and watched as people were driving out of the Glades at a slow pace, being let through by the police one at a time.

“It's going too slow,” Felicity murmured, eyes focused on the screen.

Suddenly, her ears began ringing and a stabbing pain began throbbing in her head. She winced, covering her ears, but a strangled cry left her as her knees buckled and she fell forward.

“Felicity!” Oliver shouted, dropping down next to her as she shook with the force of the pain. Her heart was pounding and her vision was getting blurry. Whenever she tried to open her eyes, the sound in her ears only seemed to get worse.

She felt strong arms wrap around her as someone pulled her into their chest. On an almost subconscious level, she recognized the scent to be Oliver's but everything around her was drowned out by the noise. She knew that she was screaming, but she couldn't stop herself. It felt as if someone was stabbing her head, over and over again with a toothpick and she felt something warm and wet slide down the sides of her face and from her nose.

_'Just let her go… You'll see. Let her do what she wants…'_

“Make it stop, make it stop!” Felicity screamed, over and over again, eyes still squeezed shut. It felt like it had gone on for hours when the throbbing pain turned into a dull ache and the sound finally stopped. She couldn't breathe and she felt as if someone had just squeezed her heart until it stopped beating altogether.

“Oliver, you have to move,” she heard someone – _Diggle_ – say, just as she was lifted up from the ground. Her eyes were still closed because she feared that the pain would return if she opened them.

' _You'll see.'_

-§-

Oliver felt Tommy tugging him back and away from Felicity's body as Diggle lifted her up into his arms and effortlessly carried her to the medical table.

“Make it stop, please… Please, make it stop,” Felicity continued to chant, her body twisting from side to side, clearly still in pain.

Oliver pulled himself free from Tommy and ran over to her side, clasping her hand in his immediately. “Felicity, you're okay,” he tried, knowing that it wasn't going to help. She wasn't screaming anymore, but it was obvious she was still hurting. “It's over. You're going to be all right.”

“What happened?” Tommy asked, coming to stand next to Diggle, opposite Oliver.

“That was most likely that signal that your father planned on sending out,” Diggle stated. “Felicity was right about him moving things along faster than planned now that he has been exposed.”

“Shit,” Tommy cursed. “That was terrifying.” He looked down at Felicity, who was still moaning in pain, tears streaming down her face and blood dripping from her nose.

Oliver moved his finger to the side of her head, where Felicity's claws had apparently dug into her skin, drawing blood as she'd tried to stop the noise that they hadn't been able to hear. He swallowed thickly when he saw the look of pain still on her face. “Felicity, please,” he pleaded and all of the sudden, Felicity gasped, jumping up as her body began shaking violently, eyes turning yellow.

“We have to restrain her!” Diggle yelled, already running for the chains that Felicity had used when she had turned in front of Roy. As quickly as they could, Diggle and Tommy wrapped the chains around her body and the table while Oliver held her down. He hated that he was doing this to her, but the sound had obviously triggered her turn and there was no way that she was going to be in control after losing it like this.

Minutes that felt like hours passed and finally, Felicity's body went slack on the table. Oliver looked at her again before glancing up at Diggle and Tommy. They were looking just as guilty as Oliver felt and a part of him was glad that he wasn't the only one. Hopefully, Felicity wouldn't be mad at them for doing this to her, because they hadn't had another choice.

Oliver couldn't help himself when he reached over and brushed his fingers against her cheek. The panic was still coursing through him, even though Felicity had clearly settled down for a moment and wasn't spontaneously turning into a wolf. He leaned a little closer to her ear, resting his forehead against the side of her head, feeling her blood being smeared across his forehead.

“Felicity...” he breathed out in a whisper, so low that he knew that neither Tommy nor Diggle were able to hear him. He pulled back only slightly when he noticed the change in Felicity's breathing and saw that her eyes were slowly fluttering open. Her eyes opened slowly and Oliver instantly pulled away from her, wiping his forehead to remove her blood from his skin. “Get her out of the restraints,” he told Diggle and Tommy as he got her a blanket and a wet cloth to clean her skin.

When he returned to them, Felicity was sitting up, looking as if she might be sick at any moment, but it didn't stop Oliver from wrapping the blanket around her body. As soon as he was close enough, Felicity's head dropped to the middle of his chest and Oliver didn't hesitate to hold her close to him, ignoring the fact that she was getting more blood on his shirt.

Felicity shivered against him and he held her a little tighter, knowing without a doubt that this was exactly what she needed in this moment. Soon though, he knew that they would have to pull apart because he needed to let Diggle check on her before they headed out. They needed to find Merlyn before it was too late and they needed to force him to tell them where he had planted his earthquake device. After a moment, Oliver pulled away from Felicity, brushing his fingers against her cheek again as he looked into her eyes, silently checking for himself that she really was all right. He could tell that she still wasn't completely fine, because there were tears in her eyes and her hands were still shaking where they were clutching his shirt. He bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead and Felicity exhaled, her warm breath hitting his chest just before he forced himself to pull away from her.

“We need to get Merlyn,” he told her and she nodded back to him. Oliver turned to look at Diggle and Tommy. “Are you with me?” he asked them.

“I'm with you,” Diggle said, no hesitation in his voice. “You're my brother. Until the very end.”

Oliver nodded toward him before turning to Tommy, who also bowed his head in a curt nod. “Of course I'm with you,” Tommy said. “I want to be there when you find my father. I have a few words I need to exchange with him.”

“Okay,” Oliver agreed before turning back to Felicity. “I want you to leave.”

Felicity frowned, “What?”

“I don't want you down here,” Oliver explained. “Verdant is ground zero of we fail to stop the earthquake machine and I don't want you to risk your life by staying here.”

“I am not leaving, Oliver,” Felicity said, her voice stern as she took a step toward him.

“The signal weakened you, Felicity,” Oliver pointed out. “I can't be out there knowing that you're not okay down here.”

“Weakened or not, I am _not_ leaving,” Felicity repeated. “I'm better already and I will not leave while you're out there. We're supposed to be a team and I will not leave _you_.”

Oliver didn't know whether it was her confidence that made him do it, but before he had a chance to register what he was doing, he stepped up close to her again. His one hand fell on her neck, fingers tangling in her hair as his other hand settled on her waist, gripping the blanket she was still wrapped up in. Felicity's eyes widened when he pulled her closer to him, her chest pressing against his as he just stopped, looking deep into her eyes once more. He could feel her heart hammering away in her chest and he was pretty sure that she could feel his as it threatened to jump out of his own. His hand that had been on her waist trailed upwards and he cupped her cheeks with both of his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes as he stared at her intently.

Oliver swallowed thickly, knowing that he wanted nothing more in that moment than to kiss her. He wanted to feel her lips against his because he didn't know what would happen tonight and he didn't know whether either one of them would make it out alive. The look she was giving him, told him that something was changing inside of her too. He didn't doubt that she could sense what he wanted – whether it was because she felt the same or because of her heightened hybrid senses, he didn't know for sure – but something in her eyes told him that she wanted him to close that gap between them and just crush his lips to hers.

He couldn't though.

He couldn't do that to them. He didn't want to reduce this thing that had been built up between them – this _emotion_ – to something as simple as a goodbye kiss. He knew that if he made it out alive tonight, he would regret it forever if Felicity thought that he had just kissed her because he thought that he wouldn't return. If it was meant to happen, it would and he didn't want to rush into things just because he might not be alive tomorrow. Oliver knew, deep in his heart that they would see each other again and then, whenever things between them progressed, it would be because they both wanted it, _not_ because they were afraid that they wouldn't get another chance to do it.

He brushed Felicity's cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, his eyes flickering down to her lips when they parted slightly. He forced himself to look back up into her eyes because he needed to see that he wasn't just imagining things between them. It had taken him so long to admit to himself that Felicity was no longer just a hybrid to him, but also someone he cared about deeply. He couldn't imagine his life without her and he knew that that feeling had just grown stronger over the months that they had been partners. He cared about her more than ever and he wasn't willing to lose her and what they had.

“I will see you when all of this is over,” he told her, his voice low but sure.

Slowly, Felicity nodded back to him. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers and Felicity's small hands lifted to cup his cheeks as well, mirroring his touch. Oliver closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, wanting to remember this moment forever.

“I will see you again,” Felicity said, her voice just as quiet as his and Oliver knew that whenever he came back for her, things were going to change between them forever.

-§-

When Oliver, Tommy and Diggle left, Felicity sat down by her computer. She rested her elbows on the desk and buried her face in her hands, knowing that she needed to get a grip on herself before she could do anything else.

The signal that Merlyn had sent out had weakened her far more than she had expected. She hadn't been ready for it and the pain had been excruciating, worse than any turn that she had ever lived through. Breathing through her nose, she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good to think about it now. Her mind felt a little foggy, still, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why she was feeling as if she had missed something major.

A part of her wondered though, whether the reason that her heart was beating so quickly wasn't just because of that signal. That small part wondered if it wasn't also because of Oliver's actions right before he had left the lair with Tommy and Diggle.

Felicity had been so sure that it was going to happen; that Oliver going to finally break this unbelievable tension between them and just kiss her. It didn't happen and Felicity would be lying if she told anyone that she wasn't disappointed, but at the same time, she knew that if he had kissed her, she would never have been able to just let go of him. She would have gone out there with him into battle, despite knowing that they needed her in the Foundry. Her job tonight was going to be to contact Detective Lance and try to get him to help find the earthquake device and disarm it before Merlyn was able to activate it. It was their only hope to save the Glades and the innocent humans that resided there. The Dark Ones that hid there would be spared tonight and Felicity knew that they would be something that would need taking care of at some other point. For now, the only thing that they needed to focus on was finding that device and stopping Malcolm Merlyn.

Felicity sent a text message to Roy, asking him if he was all right or not. He responded with a short text that he was fine and that Thea was asleep and Felicity wondered to herself whether Malcolm's signal had only been meant for the Glades, like the device. Considering the pain that she had been in, it was difficult to imagine there being a place where the signal hadn't gotten through, but she supposed she might have just been one of the unlucky ones that had been effected because she had been in the targeted zone.

Pulling herself together and forcing herself out of those thoughts, Felicity put on her head-set as she began typing on the computer.

“ _Hello_?” Lance's voice sounded in her ear after a couple of seconds and Felicity inhaled deeply. “ _Who is this?_ ”

“Detective Lance,” Felicity said. “My name is Felicity Smoak. We've met before, but this is an urgent matter so I'm going to have to be quick.”

“ _Felicity Smoak? Queen's girlfriend?_ ” Lance asked and Felicity ignored the way that her stomach fluttered at that.

“His Executive Assistant,” Felicity corrected. “But does it really matter?”

“ _Unless you're going to get to the point, Ms. Smoak, I'm going to have to hang up on you. In case you missed it, there's a big evacuation happening and being a part of the police force, I'm in the middle of it._ ” Lance sounded impatient and Felicity knew that she needed to get through to him quickly.

“I work with the Arrow,” Felicity blurted, “and I'm going to need you to trust me tonight if we're going to try to save the city.”

With the way that Lance paused, Felicity instantly knew that she had gotten his interest.

-§-

Oliver stood with Tommy and Diggle on either side of him, looking at the man that had been a friend to his family since he had been a child. Felicity had pinged the location of Malcolm's cell-phone and given them the directions to follow it after she had gotten a hold of Detective Lance and even though it was a wild shot, something had told Oliver that Malcolm _wanted_ him to find him tonight.

They stood on top of Merlyn Global, facing Malcolm who was dressed in his Dark Archer suit, watching them with something that could only be interpreted as an amused face.

“So you found me,” the man said, sounding nothing like the man that Oliver had known when growing up. “Can't say that I'm surprised that you brought back-up with you this time around, considering how things went the last time we fought. I just didn't expect you to bring my son with you.”

“I'm no son of yours,” Tommy spat.

Malcolm tilted his head, watching him, clearly amused. “You're right, Tommy,” he said. “Your father died the day that your mother was murdered by those monsters.”

“You don't have to do this, Malcolm,” Oliver said, speaking through the voice-modulator. “You can still stop this from happening.”

“There is no stopping this,” Malcolm hissed, eyes wild. “This city is crumbling and the Dark Ones are going to take over everything if we don't stop them now! The Glades is only the first step before we clean out the entire city and then, slowly bur surely, we'll save the entire world!”

“Are you even hearing yourself right now?” Tommy asked. “You're willing to kill innocent humans in order to get rid of the Nightcrawlers. You're _insane_ if you think that all of this is going to work!”

“It's a small price to pay…” Merlyn trailed off, fingers tightening on his black bow.

Oliver saw him move and quickly ducked down, reaching into his own quiver, nocking an arrow, “Watch out!”

Tommy ducked away from the arrow that his father sent flying toward him and Oliver released his own arrow, stopping the next one that Malcolm had fired in his direction. Diggle began shooting toward Merlyn, trying to hit him in places that would disarm him, but Merlyn only charged at Oliver, firing arrow after arrow his way.

Before Oliver knew it, he was yelling at Tommy to stay away and he and Diggle were both engaged in a three-way battle with Malcolm. The punches kept coming and Oliver kept trying to dodge them all. He managed to get in a good hit on Malcolm, but the older man was trained well and retaliated with techniques that Oliver had only seen once or twice in all of his years. They made his moves difficult to predict and Oliver feared that even though he had Diggle with him, they wouldn't be able to get to Malcolm.

“Ah!” Diggle screamed when Malcolm managed to knock him over his head with his bow and Oliver bristled in anger when he saw his friend double over. With a kick to Diggle's stomach, Malcolm got the upper hand on him and kicked him again, making Diggle to roll over, looking as if he wasn't going to get up any time soon. Oliver couldn't look toward Diggle though, because he knew that he needed to beat Malcolm. Somewhere in his peripheral view he saw Tommy running up to Diggle and it was enough for Oliver's brain to register that his partner would be taken care of for now. Instead, he put all his focus on Malcolm.

Malcolm swung his bow toward Oliver's face and Oliver leaned back, just barely dodging it as he sent another punch toward Malcolm. The older man blocked him, hooking his bow around Oliver's neck to bring his face closer as he headbutted him. Oliver's head exploded in pain and he felt warm blood spill from his nose, but he kept going. He managed to land a punch on Malcolm's side, just under his jaw. Malcolm stumbled back, but didn't stop his attacks either. Oliver ducked again, just barely getting out of the way of an arrow that whizzed past him, but the arrow nicked his cheek and caught on his hood, pulling it back.

For a moment, Malcolm paused, his eyes widening as he took in Oliver's face. It just then occurred to Oliver that Malcolm hadn't been aware of the fact that Oliver was the hunter of Starling City and he wondered for a mere second if that was going to make a difference tonight.

“Well, if it isn't little Ollie Queen,” Malcolm said, sounding amazed this time. “I sure did not expect that one, but I guess it all makes sense now.”

Oliver turned off the voice-modulator, “Does this change anything?”

“No,” Malcolm told him bluntly, “but I would like to ask you one, tiny little question though.”

“What?” Oliver spat, glaring at him.

Malcolm smirked, “Did you know about that little bitch you pranced around with at all those fundraisers? Did you know that she's a hybrid or did she somehow manage to fool you into believing that she's a good little monster?”

“She isn't like that!” Oliver bristled, wanting to kill the man for just speaking about Felicity in that way. “She isn't like _them!_ ”

“That's what she made you believe!” Malcolm yelled back at him. “They're all the same! She's going to show her true face soon enough and she's going to stab you in the back!”

“She's already shown me who she is,” Oliver told him. “Nothing you'll say here tonight will change how I feel about her.”

At his words, Malcolm's eyes lit up. “How you _feel_ about her?” he mocked. “Don't tell me that you've gone and caught yourself some feelings for the monster. This is just pathetic, Oliver. I knew that your father was weak and didn't have it in him to do what was necessary, but I thought that with what you've been doing for the past two years, you might be different. Apparently I was wrong because the apple clearly doesn't fall far from the tree. That's why you're going to be the one to die tonight, just like your father died seven years ago, and I'm still here standing.”

Oliver charged so quickly that he caught even Malcolm by surprise. He knocked the man over and began punching him, over and over again, feeling as blood began seeping through his leather gloves where his skin was breaking on his knuckled. Malcolm managed to lift his arm though and deliver a swift punch to the side of Oliver's neck, knocking him to the side, once again getting the upper hand. Oliver let out a strangled sound when Merlyn lifted one of his black arrows over his head while holding Oliver down on the ground with a grip to his throat that felt as if it was crushing his windpipes.

“I'm sorry that it had to come to this,” Malcolm said as he stabbed him once, straight through the shoulder before pulling the arrow out again, readying for another strike as Oliver tried to scream in pain. “You should know that I always cared about you, as if you were my own.”

Oliver knew it was over then. There was nothing he could do. His body was tired and he could barely breathe. Malcolm was suffocating him and had the upper hand and he was going to kill him with a single strike when he pierced his heart with that arrow. Oliver's mind traveled to his mother and Thea as he closed his eyes, and he remembered his father's final moments. The last thing though, that crossed his mind before he stopped struggling, was Felicity's baby blue eyes, shifting to that golden hue that he had been falling in love with.

_Bang!_

A gunshot rang out and for a moment, everything stopped. Oliver opened his eyes and looked up at Malcolm, who was staring straight ahead, eyes widened. A second or two passed until the man finally toppled over, off of Oliver who gasped for air when his lungs were finally allowed the oxygen they craved.

Oliver stared up at the night sky finally being able to catch his breath, ignoring the pain that radiated from his shoulder and he pressed his gloved hand to it as he pushed himself into a sitting position, looking at Malcolm, who was laying on the ground next to him, pain etched across his face.

“It's over,” Tommy spoke, walking toward Oliver, helping him up from the ground. Oliver felt his blood seep through his undershirt, but he knew he would be fine. It had been a clean strike, through and through and he had dealt with worse when he had been on Lian Yu. Oliver looked down and saw Diggle's gun in Tommy's hand, realizing then that Tommy had shot his own father in order to save Oliver's life.

“ _Lance found the device, guys_ ,” Felicity's voice sounded in their ears through the comm-link. “ _It's been disabled_.”

Oliver looked down toward Malcolm, who was still breathing heavily after having been shot in the back. There was blood pooling around him, but it would take some time for him to bleed out.

“It's over, Malcolm,” he told him. “The device has been disarmed. Your plan failed.”

An eerie smirk covered Malcolm's face as he stared straight up in the sky. “If there's one thing I've learned as a successful businessman,” he gasped, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, “it's redundancy.” Malcolm coughed again, his body shaking with the strength of it before he finally went still and stopped breathing, that smile still on his face.

Oliver let his words sink in for a moment before they connected and started making sense. “Felicity,” he spoke into the comm-link. “There's another device somewhere. There were two of them!”

“ _Oh my God,_ ” Felicity said. “ _We're not going to make it, Oliver. There's no way we can find that other device and disarm it in time!_ ”

“Get out of Verdant, Felicity!” Oliver yelled, fear gripping him.

“ _Lance is telling me that Laurel is still at the CNRI_ ,” Felicity said. “ _He's on his way there to try and get her out._ ”

“Are you listening to me?” Oliver growled at her. “I am telling you to get the fuck out of there and get as far away from the Glades as possible!”

“I have to get Laurel,” Tommy said from beside him, still trying to hold him up. Oliver noticed that his friend was looking at the body of his dead father – the one he had killed – and his hands were still shaking. “I can't leave her there because she doesn't know about the devices!” Tommy said, just as the ground began vibrating.

“Oliver, Tommy!” Diggle called out from the other side of the roof and they both turned around and watched in horror as buildings across the city began collapsing. The air filled with screams and chaos, sirens and crashes and there was nothing they could do but watch.

“Felicity!”

“ _Oliver, I'm fine! The quake isn't as strong as it would have been if Lance hadn't gotten one of the devices disarmed._ ”

“I'm only going to say this one more time: Get out of there!” Oliver screamed at her through the comm-link.

“ _I'm telling you that I'm fine–”_

The line was cut off and Oliver turned to Tommy and Diggle immediately. “You guys get Laurel,” he told them and they nodded. “Will you be okay?” he asked Diggle, who once again replied with a short nod.

“I've been injured worse in the army,” his friend said.

“Okay,” Oliver said. “Let's go, we can't waste any time. Things are probably bad out there.”

“What are you going to do?” Tommy asked. “What are we going to do with the body?”

“The authorities will deal with it,” Oliver replied. “We have more important things on our hands right now.” They hurried down the stairs as quickly as they could and Tommy and Diggle got into Diggle's van. Oliver reached his motorcycle and got on it.

“And where will you be going?” Tommy asked again through the window.

“I'm going to get Felicity,” Oliver answered as he put on his helmet and revved the engine, speeding off into the night.

-§-

From the outside, Verdant didn't look much different.

Felicity had told him that the quake wasn't as violent as it would have been if one of the devices hadn't been deactivated, but from what he had seen of the Glades, he knew that enough damage had been done. Even though Verdant looked untouched, Oliver didn't know what he would find when he entered the Foundry. Felicity's link to the comm had been disconnected suddenly and Oliver feared that something had happened to him, but he hoped for all he was worth that she wasn't injured.

“Felicity?” Oliver yelled when he finally got the door to the lair opened and hurried down the stairs. The place was in chaos, with shelves knocked over and shattered glass all over the floor. Some of Felicity's computers had fallen over and been smashed against the floor as well, smoke coming out of them, but Felicity was nowhere in sight.

“Felicity!” Oliver screamed again, looking around frantically for her as he stepped over some shelves that had fallen down.

“Oliver…”

“Felicity?” he turned in the direction of her weak voice and walked in hurried steps. He didn't spot her until he saw the blood on the floor and followed the trail where she had crawled away from the rubble. He found her laying on the floor behind the med-bay that had fallen over, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her shirt ripped, with pieces of white wood sticking out of her stomach. Oliver knelt down next to her, his hands hovering over her belly.

“What happened?” he asked, surprised by his own calm considering how his heart was hammering away in his chest and panic was flooding through his veins.

“It was stupid, really,” Felicity gasped, wincing when Oliver slowly pulled one of the wooden pieces out. “One of my own weapons… Who would have thought that the shelf would fall and one of the stake-bombs would detonate?” She sounded as if she was joking and Oliver wanted to scream at her for doing so. How could she joke when he was having an internal panic attack?

“I need to get these pieces of wood out of you,” he said as he removed another small piece.

“I couldn't do it myself,” Felicity breathed out. “I-I got some of the bigger ones out, but the small ones are a bitch. My fingers were too slippery.”

Oliver glanced down at her blood covered hands and swallowed thickly, moving his eyes back to meet hers. He worked as quickly as he could, ignoring the way her pained cries felt like punches to his gut every time they escaped her mouth.

“Tommy's dad?” Felicity asked, clearly trying to distract herself.

“Dead,” Oliver replied.

“Did you…?”

“Tommy did.”

“Oh.”

Oliver finally pulled out the final piece and Felicity coughed, wincing when her body shook.

“Next time I tell you to get out, you get out,” Oliver told her.

“I said that I wouldn't leave, and you were still out there,” Felicity replied, as if that justified everything. Oliver wanted to shake her and yell at her for risking her life like this, because damn it, if one of those wooden pieces had lodged themselves into her heart, he would have lost her forever. Instead, he remained quiet and reached for her hand. His gloves were soaked with her blood but he removed them quickly because he knew that he needed to feel her skin against his. Taking her hand, he closed his eyes for a moment and lowered his head to her shoulder. Felicity laid completely still and then squeezed his fingers.

“Take me home,” she whispered. “I'm going to be okay. We'll both be okay… Just, take me home.”

Oliver remembered how she had asked him to take her home once before. That time all those weeks ago when she had forced herself to turn into a wolf so that Roy would see what it would take to be one. That night he had brought her back here to the Foundry, but now, he understood what she had meant back then too.

He was supposed to take her _home –_ to _his_ home. That was where she belonged and that was where he wanted her, if not forever, then at least for tonight. Somehow, he got the strength to stand up and ignoring the pain in his shoulder and his still bleeding wounds, he lifted Felicity up into his arms and carried her out of the chaos.

-§-

Oliver didn't really know how he managed to get them both back to the Queen mansion and sneak them in without Roy and Thea actually hearing them. They got in through the backdoor and then he carried Felicity up the stairs, all still in his arrow suit. He prayed that neither Thea nor Roy would wake up and see them like this; all bloodied up, injured and him in his suit. It would be way too complicated to explain and Oliver really didn't feel up for it at all. Miraculously enough, he managed to get them upstairs without much noise and into his own room. There was no way in hell that he was going to take his eyes off of Felicity tonight. After everything that had happened, he wanted to have her close to him.

He placed Felicity on his bed, despite her protest of getting blood all over the sheets and then walked to his door and turned the lock. His phone rang and Oliver looked at the text message that Diggle had sent him. Tommy, Laurel and Lance were fine and Malcolm's body had been taken into police custody. Laurel and Tommy were going to spend the night at Lance's place and Diggle was heading home. He was dead and the Undertaking was over. There had been casualties, but there were no numbers released yet, though Oliver knew that there was nothing more that he could have done tonight, even if he had stayed. Oliver texted Diggle back and told him that Felicity was okay and that she would be spending the night at the mansion with him and after that, he turned his phone off, not wanting to get any alerts in the morning because he knew that there would be enough to deal with then.

He shared the information with Felicity before he walked over to his dresser and pulled out some sweatpants for himself, two clean shirts and two pairs of boxers. Walking over to Felicity, where she sat on the corner of his bed, he offered her one of the shirt and the boxers, ignoring the way that his own face heated up slightly.

“You should get changed,” he told her softly as she took the clothes he was offering her. “I would get you something to wear from Thea, but I don't want to wake her up.”

“It's okay,” Felicity said.

“I'll change in the other room and give you some privacy,” he said, turning around and walking to the other room that she had slept in that one time that she had spent the night here at the mansion. Oliver winced when he tried to remove the hood and his undershirt, his injury finally making itself known in full force when his body had begun relaxing. The material was sticking to his skin and he couldn't help but release a small hiss as he shut his eyes tightly due to the stinging.

“What happened?” he heard Felicity ask behind him and he turned around to see her standing in the doorway, seeming to wear nothing but the clothes that he had provided her with.

“Malcolm stabbed me,” he stated when she walked toward him, clearly having gotten some of her strength back when she helped him remove the hood and the shirt. Oliver ignored the way that goosebumps covered his skin when her fingers moved across the wound that had stopped bleeding, but hadn't been taken care of at all. He would probably need stitches, he figured, though he couldn't move his eyes away from Felicity's face as she took him in.

“Oliver,” Felicity said, skimming her fingers over his chest, only to rest her palm flat against his heart. “I can help.”

He knew what she meant because she had offered it to him before. The thought of drinking her blood – any blood, really – had always disgusted him because in his mind, it was something that only monsters did. Since then, things between them had changed though and a part of him couldn't help but wonder, what it would be like to share something like that with Felicity.

“I don't know what you want me to say,” he finally said, meeting her eyes. “You know how I feel about that…”

“I know, but it'll heal your wound,” she told him. “You won't be in pain anymore. I don't want you to be in pain, Oliver.”

The way she said it, so earnestly almost made him shiver. He covered her hand where it rested over his heart. “What about you?” he wondered. “I don't want you to be in pain either.”

Felicity only stared at him and he wondered briefly if she understood what he was telling her. Hell, he didn't really know if he himself knew just what it was that he had suggested to her. He watched her swallow and her hand trailed down, to the hem of his pants. The world seemed to stop spinning, but only for a moment because Felicity spoke and interrupted his brain from reaching those impure thoughts of his.

“You need to change you pants,” she said. “But leave your shirt off.”

Then she just took a small step back and looked at him expectantly. Oliver stood there for a second before he finally unbuttoned his pants and pulled them off, without a struggle. Perhaps it was once again his adrenaline making it easier but Felicity's suggestion had without a doubt made him feel like he was high on some kind of hormone and he honestly couldn't wait to see where this would go. He knew what to expect, but at the same time, it was all so new and Felicity had a way of throwing curve balls his way. He pulled on the sweatpants and then picked up the leather pants, looking at Felicity again. She reached her hand out and laced their fingers together before she pulled them toward his room again. Once they were inside, he dropped the dirty clothes on the floor and Felicity locked the second door behind them, pulling him with her to his bed.

She climbed on top of it and tugged on his hand, showing him that she wanted him to sit with his back toward the headboard. Oliver swallowed thickly, but wordlessly followed her silent order, never once letting go of her hand. Felicity seemed to hesitate when she let go of her grip on him and walked across the room to where he had discarded his quiver and she took out one of his arrows before walking back to the bed and getting on top of it again.

She made her way over to him and he couldn't help but watch the creamy skin of her legs and the way that her hair fell, framing her face. Her baby blue eyes were piercing and Oliver failed to stop a shudder from wracking his body when she swung one of her legs over his body and straddled his waist. His eyes widened and met hers when he placed his hands on her hips, the material of the shirt she was wearing bunching up slightly to reveal the boxer briefs that she had put on.

“How do we do this?” Oliver asked, his voice hoarse.

“I cut myself a little,” Felicity explained. “And then… Well, I think you'll get the hang of it anyway.”

“And you just… bite?” he wondered, searching her eyes.

Felicity nodded slowly. “I've never done this before,” she admitted. “Shared blood with someone.”

“You've never…?” Oliver trailed off, his grip on her hips tightening somewhat. It made him feel good that no one had ever done that with her. He was the only one and the possessive part of him wanted to be her first in this and also her last. But she wasn't his to control and he knew that the thought was wrong, as soon as it had crossed his mind. Felicity stood for freedom and everyone's right to choose. It would go against everything she believed in for him to just say that he wanted her to belong to him.

“Do you want to begin?” she asked him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Can't we do it at the same time?” he frowned at her.

“I suppose we can,” she shrugged, moving a little closer to him so that her chest was pressed against his. He could feel the heat of her body through the thin material of the shirt, the softness of her breasts against his hard chest. “I'll just make the cut,” she said, lifting the arrow to the side of her neck. She must have seen the silent question in his eyes when he saw which place she had picked and she quickly explained herself. “It's the easiest place to access the blood.” He nodded and she offered him a small smile back. “If it becomes too much, just pull away and I'll stop… I promise.”

“Okay,” he said. “I trust you.”

Oliver watched as Felicity pressed the head of the arrow against her skin, breaking it. A small drop of blood trickled down her skin, toward the shirt she was wearing and Oliver didn't know what it was that came over him, but he leaned down and licked it off her skin without thinking. Felicity gasped against him, dropping the arrow as she gripped his shoulders. The coppery taste wasn't unfamiliar in his mouth because he had injured himself too many times to count, but there was something under the metallic taste as well… Something almost sweet.

Oliver moved his lips over Felicity's skin, across her shoulders until he finally reached the small wound that she had made, his lips latching onto it as he sucked. Felicity's fingers grasped his short hair and he felt her lean down to press her forehead against his pulse point for a moment, allowing him to take in her blood and just get a hang of it. He felt her nuzzle her nose against him, her hot breath fanning across his neck, making the hairs stand on his arms. The familiar feeling of something sharp crazing his skin caused him to tense, but only for a moment before he remembered what it was that they were doing.

When Felicity's fangs finally pierced his skin, he didn't even feel any pain. Instead, the taste of her blood in his mouth only seemed to intensify and he felt as if his body was floating. He could feel blood rushing to the place in his neck where Felicity was suckling softly, and he closed his eyes, letting out a moan against her skin.

Everything was so intense. It felt as if they had melted together and he could sense everything that she was feeling too. Pain, pleasure, relief and _lust_ , all mixed together, but still not being the dominating emotion. Oliver felt as if he could see right into Felicity's mind as images of the night flashed before his eyes. He could feel the pain when she had been injured, the panic when she had learned that there was more than one device and the fear that had gripped her when she had thought that she might lose him. His mind was foggy and for some reason, it only made him suck harder against her skin, his tongue darting out as he licked at the wound.

When Felicity rocked against him – he wasn't sure if she had meant to, or if it had been a natural reaction – Oliver suddenly realized just how much the blood sharing was effecting him. His boxers felt a lot tighter and there was no mistaking the bulge in his pants that Felicity rubbed herself against. He needed to stop, but he _wanted_ to continue. His hands found their way under her shirt, his rough fingers brushing against her sides before reaching upwards, just barely touching the underside of her breasts. Felicity groaned against him and once again rocked herself against the hardness in his sweatpants and he could swear that heat was radiating from every piece of her body.

“Felicity,” he moaned against her skin, trailing soft kisses against her throat when he finally stopped sucking on her wound. He opened his eyes and glanced down at the cut, watching amazed as the cut healed in front of his eyes. Removing one of his hands from under her shirt, he tangled his fingers into her hair and pulled at it a little to tilt her head back before once again attaching his lips to her throat, pressing a soft kiss there.

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered, pulling her head back slightly and when she opened her eyes, Oliver was finally able to take her all in.

She was beautiful.

Her eyes were glowing golden and her fangs were still extracted, his blood coating the tips of them. With rosy cheeks and a rapid breath, she met his gaze and Oliver continued to watch her as her face slowly changed back, the black veins that had been surrounding her eyes disappearing as her irises turned blue and her fangs changed back to normal human teeth. Oliver couldn't help but reach up with both hands and brush his thumbs against her cheeks again, much like he had done in the Foundry before he had left her there. Felicity clasped her fingers around his wrists, closing her eyes for only a second as she leaned her forehead against his.

“I thought I would never see you again,” she admitted silently.

“I promised that we would see each other again,” Oliver reminded her. “I promised that I would be back.”

“I'm glad you're here,” Felicity said. “I'm glad that you brought me here with you.”

“I want you to be here,” Oliver told her, pulling away so that he could press his lips against her forehead. “Stay here with me tonight. Sleep here.”

“Okay… Okay,” Felicity nodded against him, looking down at the side of his neck. “The wound has healed,” she told him and then pressed her hand against the place where Malcolm had stabbed him. “This too,” she said.

“What about you?” Oliver wondered. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes,” Felicity nodded, pressing her lips to the side of his neck again where she had previously bitten him. “I'm feeling much better.”

Oliver could feel himself twitching in his pants and he knew that he needed to get some control over the situation before he took things too far. His mind was still a little foggy and he couldn't believe that things had turned out the way that they had.

He had shared blood with Felicity and he felt _alive_ for the first time in forever. He felt as if he could do anything, but at the same time, he was very, very tired.

“We should get some sleep,” Oliver told her.

“We should,” Felicity agreed.

Oliver couldn't help but notice the reluctance in her eyes when she got off of him and laid down on the bed next to him. He kind of hated the fact that neither of them chose to acknowledge just how intimate the share had been, but he supposed they could talk about that tomorrow. Oliver pulled the comforter from under Felicity and got himself under the covers as well. He didn't think twice about wrapping his body around hers, still painfully hard in his pants, but Felicity didn't seem to mind at all when she wiggled back against him. Oliver wrapped his arm around her body and Felicity rested her head against his other arm and she took a hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together once more. He lifted himself up enough so that he could lean down and press his lips against her cheek one more time, though he couldn't help but be a little startled when Felicity turned her head and kissed the corner of his mouth, just barely missing his lips. He tightened his grip on her and she offered him a small smile and nothing else.

“I have to talk to you about something tomorrow,” Felicity whispered tiredly.

“Tomorrow,” Oliver agreed, pressing his nose against her hair, breathing in her scent as sleep finally took over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any spelling mistakes! I didn't have time to read through it because I wanted to get it out there ASAP! Once again, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and don't forget to drop a comment and tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and for all the wonderful support I've gotten from you guys. I would be nowhere without you!
> 
> Much love,
> 
> Spicy xx


	19. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the Undertaking brings new feelings, the day brings discoveries and the evening brings more revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we just state the fact that I suck sometimes? I can't even begin telling you how sorry I am for once again putting this story on hold. I hope you're still hanging in there, even though I've kind of been focusing on another fandom for a while... Please, enjoy this chapter and I promise you that I'll do better with the next!

**Hunted**

 

**Chapter 19: The Morning After**

 

 

It was early, that much he was sure of.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet, though he was certain that the sun had just made its way up on the sky and that the light was slowly filling his room. His arms were filled with warmth and he couldn't help but lower his head down into the softness of her hair as his hand moved down to rest on her stomach. He knew who she was because how could he forget? There was no way he would ever let last night slip from his mind, for as long as he lived.

Oliver opened his eyes and was instantly met by the sight of blonde tresses. Felicity's hands were resting over his arms, which were wrapped around her, holding her close to him and their legs had ended up tangled during the night. They were there because they had made it. The Undertaking hadn't failed completely, but at least they had made it out of it alive. There had been a moment when he thought that he might lose her, but he had found her in time and helped save her life. The thing that the had shared when he took her home with him – _the blood sharing_ – had surely been enough to show him that she was still there with him and that he was breathing as well.

It had been intense, definitely more intimate than any sex he could ever remember having had with a woman. The fact that he knew that her blood was running inside his veins and that his was running through hers made his stomach flip with something that he could only describe as excitement. He wasn't really sure if that was a good thing or not, but he did know that it had helped them both heal faster, and really, that was was all he could ask for.

A part of him wondered if he should be embarrassed for the reaction that the exchange had had on him, yet another part told him that there was no reason to. If it had bothered Felicity, she would have pushed him away but she hadn't done that at all. No, instead, she had pressed closer to him, almost as if she wanted to remove the thin layer of clothes that had been covering them and then keep going. Oliver didn't know what that meant; if it had only been a natural reaction to the exchange of blood or if it had been _more_.

He wanted to know but he didn't know how to ask and then again, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted it to happen again.

Malcolm had been defeated, yes, but there had been casualties. Oliver hadn't stayed up long enough to look at the news but from what he had seen on his way to Verdant, he knew that the numbers of dead would rise throughout the day as they looked through the rubble on the streets. His mother was in prison too and he had his sister to think about now. He knew that things would without a doubt change on Queen Consolidated as well, so he would need to set a meeting with his mother's husband to figure out what they were going to do. Over the course of twenty-four hours, his life had completely fallen apart and he needed time to pick up the pieces, once again.

Yet, in that precise moment, all he could think about was how soft Felicity's skin felt under his fingertips and how much he wanted to just stay in bed like this with her and ignore all those other things that he had been thinking about just moments ago. He had been so deep in though, in fact, that he hadn't noticed how Felicity had turned in his arms and cuddled closer to him, her eyes now opened and looking up at him with a still sleepy face.

“You're thinking,” Felicity yawned, lifting one of her hands to cover her mouth. “What are you thinking about?”

“Everything,” he said. “What's going to happen, what happened yesterday… All of it.”

Felicity's hand rested on his chest, her fingers trailing over the scars that littered it. “You're worried,” she stated. “I am too.”

It wasn't just her admitting it, but rather her telling him that he wasn't alone. He knew that and it made him feel even more strongly for her than before. It was difficult to imagine a time when he _hadn't_ had her in his life and to be quite honest, he didn't want to. He wanted to tell her that they would get through it, which he was certain they would. It would take time though and during that time, he couldn't afford to be distracted. What had happened the night before – no matter how pleasurable – couldn't happen again. Oliver knew that he had always hated Dark Ones and sure, his hatred for them had lessened slightly since Felicity came into the picture. If anything, he knew that he didn't hate her at all and she had made him believe that maybe not all Nightcrawlers were pure evil. He understood now that there were innocents among them too. Felicity had been innocent and she hadn't known about her werewolf heritage until she turned and it was the same thing with Roy. Oliver didn't even want to begin thinking about what would have happened if Roy hadn't known about being a wolf and then spontaneously turned into one while he was with Thea. It would have been a nightmare for everyone involved, he was sure.

“Last night…” Oliver trailed off, not knowing how to continue. Felicity was still softly running her fingers over his scars and he wasn't sure if he could say what he wanted without her misinterpreting it.

“Hm…?” Felicity hummed, looking up at him. He could tell that she was amused by the twinkle in her eyes, but she also seemed to understand that it was a serious matter, so she didn't smile at him.

“It can't happen again,” Oliver struggled to say.

He kept looking at her, waiting for her response. He half-expected her to push him away and be angry with him, but instead, she nodded and didn't move away at all. “I understand,” was all she said and he couldn't help but frown at her.

“No,” he shook his head, twisting around so that he could face her more fully, “I don't think you do.” When she only looked at him expectantly he continued, “This can't happen again because if it does, I'm not going to be able to control myself.” She had to know; how could she possibly _not know_ already?

“Aren't I supposed to be the one to say that?” she wondered and her voice sounded teasing.

“Felicity,” Oliver groaned turning to lay on his back again as he disentangled himself from her, pressing his hands against his face.

“Oliver,” Felicity smiled next to him, poking his forearm with her finger gently. “Sorry, I couldn't help myself,” she told him before he looked at her again and her expression turned serious. “Look, I get it,” she said. “I understand why it can't happen again, but I just have one question, which to be honest, might be kind of silly to ask now, considering.”

“What?” he wondered, looking at her fully again.

“Would it be so bad if you didn't control yourself?” she asked, biting her lip.

Oliver resisted the urge to just throw himself at her, lowering his gaze slightly. He regretted it instantly though, because the shirt that she was wearing had ridden up to her waist, exposing the boxers that she had worn to bed. He swallowed thickly, “I can't do this. Not with you. It wouldn't be fair.”

“Fair to whom?” Felicity wondered.

“Us,” Oliver answered. “Both of us. Trust me, it's better if I don't drink your blood again.”

“You _know_ that I trust you. But what about me then?” Felicity questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

“If you need me, I will be there for you,” Oliver told her, raising his arms as she cuddled into his side again, resting her head on his arm.

“Hm… Are you offering to tap a vein, Oliver?” she said, her voice returning to that teasing tone. “Or are we talking about something else entirely?”

Oliver asked himself that as he drew her tighter against himself, not being able to help himself. He wanted to keep her close but he knew that if he ever drank her blood again or shared something like what he had shared with her the night before, he would break and then there would be no going back for him. That was why he needed some distance from her but there was no way that he would be able to leave her completely.

“I don't know,” he sighed, his hand clasping hers which rested over his heart.

-§-

Felicity looked at the clothes that Oliver had gotten for her this time around in the mirror. He had talked to Thea and told her that he hadn't been able to let Felicity stay the night in the Glades – where they had long ago told Thea that Felicity lived – and the younger Queen sibling had found an oversized sweater that she could borrow as well as some pants in the back of her closet. Felicity wasn't by any chance big, but Thea was thinner than her around the hips so it was a miracle that the pants even fit her.

It had still been too early to get out of bed after liver had told her that they couldn't share blood again, so they had stayed in bed, just holding on to each other while they talked about everything that had happened.

Well, everything _except_ for the connection that they had had when they had shared blood the night before. Felicity had heard stories about couples sharing blood and she knew that it was supposed to be something special, especially among vampires. Since she was a hybrid which originated from a line of werewolves, she had never done such a thing though, so she had had no idea that it would be like that for either of them. Besides, Oliver was human and from the stories that she had heard, she couldn't recall anyone ever telling her that it had been _that_ pleasurable with a human before.

For Felicity, it had felt as if she had somehow reached out and touched Oliver's mind. She had felt what he was feeling too and she had been aware of the fact that the feelings she had for him went both ways. Perhaps that was why she had so easily accepted the fact that they couldn't share blood again? She knew that he wasn't the only one who would have trouble controlling himself if they ever did it again and it wasn't something that she was ready to face at the moment. They had enough trouble brewing as it was and they needed to take care of those first, just as Oliver needed to focus on getting his own things settled. His mother was imprisoned and neither of them had any idea what would happen with Queen Consolidated. Felicity still needed to teach Roy and train him to control himself because there was no way to know for sure _when_ he would turn for the first time. Also, Felicity's own mind had been filled with other complications since the night before; things that she needed to discuss with Oliver and the rest of their team as soon as possible.

She had told Oliver as much and currently, she was sitting in the kitchen with Thea and Roy while Oliver talked to Tommy and Diggle on the phone. Thea was playing with her cereal, her elbow on the table as she stared down at the bowl. Felicity could tell that the cereal had gotten soggy and she looked toward Roy who was watching his girlfriend worriedly. It must be hard for the girl, losing her mother like that. One day everything had been fine and the next, Moira was in prison. Neither of them said anything when Oliver returned and joined them at the table. Raisa, the Queen's housekeeper and cook placed a sandwich in front of Oliver, who only smiled in return before taking a bite. Felicity looked toward him and he met her gaze instantly, as if he had felt her eyes on him. She motioned toward Thea, who was so deep in though that she didn't even pretend to be eating anymore. The girl looked as if she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. Oliver looked toward his sister and his face fell instantly. Felicity knew that this was just as hard on him as it was on Thea.

“So,” Oliver said after another moment of silence, clearing his throat. “What are your plans for today, Thea?”

Felicity watched Thea as she circled her spoon around in the bowl again. “I don't know,” she shrugged. “I might just stay at home or something. I wanted to drive down to the Glades and see if I can volunteer to help someway, but I'm guessing that you wouldn't be too keen on letting me go down there.”

“Thea, it's not safe there,” Oliver said. “Until the area is secured, I can't let you go down there. I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Thea said bitterly. “I could always have taken Roy with me, but that's not okay either, is it?”

“No…” Oliver replied slowly. “Stay at home today and then tomorrow we can go down there together,” he offered.

“What about you?” Roy asked. “What are you going to be doing today?” He was looking Felicity's way, even though she had a feeling that the question had originally been directed at Oliver.

“I'm going to drive down to Verdant,” Oliver said. “I have to check what damage has been done and then see how much it'll cost to repair.”

Felicity knew that he was talking about the lair, but neither Thea nor Roy knew. So when she saw a look of anger covering Thea's face, she had almost been expecting it.

“You're going to check on _your club_?” Thea asked. “When there are hundreds of people out there who have lost their homes in the earthquake? The earthquake that _our mother_ helped a psycho create?”

“Hey,” Oliver interjected. “I thought you understood why mom did what she did?”

“Yeah, I do, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened and she isn't exactly here to help pick up the pieces,” Thea said. “I think we owe it to everyone to help in every way that we can. If you want to focus on your club instead of doing that, then do whatever you want. I'm out of here.”

“Thea!” Oliver tried to call when Thea stood up and walked out of the kitchen. He stood up and followed her, but Felicity heard Thea run up the stairs and then slam her bedroom door shut while Oliver tried to talk to her from the outside. Her heart went out to the siblings and she knew that they were both hurting. She wished there was something she could do.

“Hey, Felicity,” Roy said as he too stood up and walked over to her. “I've been up all night, thinking.”

“Oh no, this can't be good,” Felicity sighed, turning in her seat to face Roy. “What's going on?”

“Well, you see,” Roy began, shifting from one foot to the other. Felicity's senses were heightened today after the blood exchange from the night before so she could practically smell the nervousness coming off of him.

“Come on, Roy, we don't have all day until Oliver comes back,” she said, once again focusing her attention on Oliver and Thea upstairs.

“I was thinking about whether it would be okay to tell Thea the truth,” Roy blurted out.

Felicity snapped her head in his direction and her mouth dropped open. “ _What_ truth?” she asked, needing him to specify.

“About me being a wolf?” Roy said, but it sounded more like a question. “About _you_ , maybe? And about us working with the Arrow?”

“You mean _me_ working with the Arrow,” Felicity stated. “You're still not officially on the team.”

“I'm a part of your pack though, right?” Roy gave her a look. “Doesn't that count for anything?”

“Roy, I can't make these decisions on my own,” Felicity said. “Revealing the truth about you and me to Thea could lead to us having to tell her about the Arrow too and that isn't my secret to tell.”

“I just don't see how it could hurt,” Roy said. “I hate seeing her like this. What her mom did and now with her brother acting as if he doesn't even care about the people who were hurt… I know Thea and it sucks not to be able to tell her that you and the Arrow are trying to figure things out.” He looked at her again. “I mean, you guys are trying to figure things out, right?”

“Yes, Roy,” Felicity nodded. “We need to get our secret lair in order after the quake though, so it might take a little while until we're up and running again. We took down Malcolm Merlyn last night.”

“I read about it online,” Roy said. “You guys killed him.”

“Yeah,” Felicity nodded.

“Does it make me a bad person to say that I'm glad that you did?” Roy wondered, taking a seat next to her.

“As wolf, its natural to sympathize with those who are hurting around you,” Felicity told him, putting her hand over his. “The fact that Thea, someone you love, is hurting, hurts you more than anything and you want to make things right for her. In your wolf mind, she's your mate and you need to protect her at all costs. Malcolm Merlyn was a threat to her so now that he's gone, of course you're going to be relieved.”

Roy nodded slowly, a solemn look on his face.

“Although,” Felicity continued, “what happened with Malcolm shouldn't have happened in the first place. It never should have gotten that far. He had lost it completely, which was the only reason that he didn't make it. Remember when I tell you that it's better that we don't kill as wolves because you never know which kill might turn you into a blood wolf.”

Roy shuddered, clearly remembering the stories that Felicity had told him about the wolves that she had encountered over the years. Blood wolves were never a fun topic.

“Look, I'll talk to the Arrow,” Felicity said. “If he decides that it's okay, we'll talk to Thea together.”

Roy only nodded again and didn't say anything else and Felicity was thankful for that. After all, it wasn't as if Roy himself knew the entire truth about the Arrow.

-§-

Oliver drove them silently through the city toward Verdant. There were several ways to get to the Glades, but unfortunately, most of them had been blocked by the police until that part of the city could be secured again. Surprisingly enough, it seemed like a lot of people who had had relatives in the Glades were trying to make their way there, and the police had been forced to control the flow of people into the area. They were letting through cars, but slowly and in order. So far, Felicity and Oliver had been caught in traffic for about half an hour, no words being shared between them.

He had known that things would become messy after the Undertaking, though he had never really expected things with Thea to get so complicated. He knew that she was hurting because he was too, but he hadn't expected her to act like she had this morning during breakfast. Oliver had seen the looks that Felicity had been sending him over the table and he had looked toward his sister and immediately understood that things were worse than he had first thought. He wished that Thea would have talked to him instead of locking herself into her room, but she hadn't wanted to hear anything that he had to say. She was upset and she had every right to be, so he had simply made the decision to give her some space. Hearing her muffled cries from the other side of the door hadn't exactly made it easy for him.

Felicity was shifting nervously in her seat next to him, but Oliver could only think about what he had realized back at the mansion. He didn't know whether it was a side-affect from the blood exchange they had done the night before, although it was the only thing that actually made sense to him. While he had been trying to get Thea to talk to him, he had been able to hear everything that she was doing on the other side of the door, more clearly than he usually would have. It was as if he was standing in the corner of the room with her as he heard every step she took and easily pinpointed her exact location inside her bedroom. Even now, as he drove forward as slow as a snail, he could see his surroundings more clearly than before.

“How are you feeling?” he asked Felicity, and he immediately felt her eyes on him.

“Shouldn't I be the one asking _you_ that?” she emphasized.

He knew that she was talking about his mother and Thea and everything that had happened this morning, but he nodded anyways. “I'm okay,” he told her. “But I was thinking more about whether you're feeling some affects from the… blood sharing,” he explained.

“Oh,” Felicity said. “Well, uh, I guess? I'm more alert, if that's what you mean? Like, I can pick up on how you're _really_ feeling about all of this and I can hear a lot better. That's usually the way blood affects me when I drink it.” She reached over, her fingers brushing against his. “Why are you asking?”

“Because I am currently seeing things in high-definition,” he said, clenching his jaw.

“Does it bother you?” Felicity wondered, her tone understanding.

“I don't really know,” he admitted. “It's just weird, I guess.”

“I get that it's strange for you,” Felicity said. “It should pass when it's out of your system. My blood, I mean.”

“How is it supposed to get 'out of my system' when I don't exactly plan on bleeding out any time soon?” he asked sarcastically.

Felicity laughed at his comment, “What I meant was that once my hybrid blood travels through your body for a while, your white blood cells will have fought off my cells.”

“You mean that if I drank more of your blood, there would be a risk of me turning into a– Eh, a hybrid? Vampire? What?”

“No, I don't think so… Maybe, if you drank _all_ of my blood,” she mused. “Honestly, Oliver, I'm not really sure how that's supposed to work. I mean, a human could turn into a vampire through blood exchange with a vampire, but that's the most time consuming way of becoming a vampire. On the other hand, only a blood wolf would be able to change a human into a wolf if they bit them during a full moon… Pack wolves don't usually do that since they are more in control.” She sighed then, “So what I'm trying to say is that I don't really know. I told you last night that I had never exchanged blood with anyone. You were my first.”

Oliver nodded, his chest filling with some strange kind of pride and possessive feeling, much like the one he had felt the night before. He pushed the emotion away, not wanting to deal with it at that moment.

“Okay, let's talk about something else now, since we're stuck in traffic,” he said.

“Yes, let's,” Felicity grinned, turning in her seat to look over at him.

“Let's talk about how you've been acting twitchy since the moment we left the mansion and how I think it might be because you're trying to figure out how to ask _me_ something,” he said, all in one breath, looking over at her.

Felicity's mouth opened in an 'o'-shape and she averted her eyes for a moment before swallowing, “Well, it seems like your perceptive skills have been heightened as well.”

“My perceptive skills are always high when it comes to you, Felicity.” At his words, Felicity's cheeks tinted red, but a wide smile spread over her face. He almost gave her a full-blown grin at that, but instead, he settled for a small smirk. “So what's on your mind?” he asked her and she shrugged.

“Roy asked me if it would be okay to tell Thea the truth about the Dark Ones,” she told him.

Oliver paused, clearing his throat, “Yeah? What did you say to him?”

“That it wasn't my decision to make,” she said. “That I had to talk to the Arrow first.”

“And what do you want me to say?” Oliver wondered. “That I think that it's a good idea? I don't.”

“I know that,” Felicity frowned. “I understand that you're having your reservations with telling the truth to Thea, but all I'm asking is that you think about it for a moment before rejecting the idea completely.”

Oliver flexed his fingers against the steering-wheel, letting his mind wander to what could happen if Thea found out the truth about Roy. He knew that it would inevitably lead to her figuring out that he was the Arrow, especially if Roy told her about Felicity too. In fact, he was almost certain that Roy himself had already made the connection between him and his alter-ego. Fortunately though, Felicity never wanted to discuss the matter with Roy when he brought the topic up and the kid didn't dare pester her about it.

Then again, when he thought about it, would it be so bad if his sister found out about him?

He had been keeping his hunting a secret from her for over two years now – nearly three, in fact – and he knew that it was something that had been causing a rift between the two of them. Whenever he went out hunting, he was forced to tell lies and sure, Thea knew that he was good but sometimes she saw right through his act. With his mother imprisoned, he knew that Thea would need him to be honest with her. There had been enough lying and keeping secrets between them and with Roy most likely needing the whole truth, it will only be a matter of time before Thea finds out as well. It would be better if it came from him.

“Okay,” he finally said.

“What?” Felicity looked at him.

“Okay,” he repeated. “We'll talk to them both when we go back to the mansion. You talk to Roy and then we'll tell Thea together. It's time Roy joins us for real and I want Thea to know where I am all the time because I don't want to be a disappointment to her.”

“Oliver, you could never disappoint your sister,” Felicity said, tilting her head to the side. She took his hand in hers and squeezed lightly. “But we'll do this together.”

Oliver squeezed her hand back and nodded.

-§-

The Foundry was still in chaos. Felicity looked at the rubble as she and Oliver slowly made their way inside and her eyes filled with tears after seeing the cot she used to sleep on, completely destroyed. Oliver held her hand tightly as they carefully walked over the broken glass and Felicity gasped when she saw on of her computers crashed on the floor.

“Oh, no,” she whispered, eyes stinging slightly. Everything was messed up and there was no way that they would be able to fix the mess in just a day. Tommy and Diggle were on their way down too, but they would be there in a few minutes. When she felt Oliver's grip on her hand tighten, she looked to where his eyes had settled and her heart felt heavy at the sight of a dark, dried spot on the floor; her blood which had dried from the night before. It was a horrible reminder of everything that had happened before they had gotten to the mansion. In fact, now when Felicity thought about it, there had been a moment when she had been sure that no one was going to get there in time. She had been able to feel the splinters making their way deeper into her body and her hands had been slippery and she had been panicking. Just now, thinking about it all, Felicity's hand made it's way to her stomach and she tensed. It was getting harder to breathe and the lair suddenly felt a lot smaller than it was.

When Oliver removed his hand from hers, the panic became worse and a small sound of protest escaped her mouth. She expected him to pull away, especially after what he had said in the early morning when they had woken up. It was understandable that he wouldn't want to share blood again and Felicity understood where he was coming from. They had both gotten carried away and Felicity had never experienced intimacy on such a high level.

Although, the moment she felt Oliver's arms wrap around her body, his hands resting over her own hand on her belly, she felt herself relaxing again. The panic she had been feeling slowly faded and she closed her eyes, just breathing in his scent. His hands were warm and she could feel energy radiating from him. Her heart sped up when he rested his forehead on her shoulder, his chest pressed against her back.

“I can't believe that I almost lost you,” he whispered and Felicity wasn't sure if he meant for her to hear him or not. She didn't say anything to him because she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. Last night, when she had been working with Lance to defuse the earthquake machine, her mind had been on Oliver and the others, wondering if they were still alive. She had wanted to be there with Oliver to fight by his side, but she knew that she had been weakened by Merlyn's signal.

She opened her mouth, but closed it quickly when she heard the Foundry door opened. Felicity almost laughed at the way that Oliver jumped away from her. The moment he heard Tommy and Diggle making their way down the stairs slowly, he had moved away, taking a step back from her. Her gut tightened and definitely not in the pleasant way and for just one moment, she felt disappointment bubble up inside of her. That was until Oliver took her hand again and laced their fingers together for just a moment until Tommy and Diggle stood in front of them.

“This place is a mess,” Diggle said, taking in the sight with something akin to horror. “How the hell are we supposed to even _begin_ cleaning this up?”

Oliver must have been able to pick up on Felicity's need to embrace the older man because he squeezed her hand again before letting her go. Felicity immediately made her way over to Diggle and hugged him tightly before turning to Tommy and embracing him too.

“Are you okay?” she asked him, knowing that despite everything that he did last night, it must have been difficult for him.

“I'm fine,” Tommy said. “Or at least I hope I will be. It's just, a part of me wishes there would have been another way or maybe a way to not let it go that far.”

“I'm really sorry you had to do that, Tommy,” Felicity said, hugging him one more time before releasing him.

With that, they began slowly cleaning up the main area of the lair. Felicity's computers were completely destroyed, so they would need to be replaced before they could start their business up properly again. Tommy and Diggle filled Oliver and Felicity in on what exactly had happened when they had gotten to CNRI the night before and how Detective Lance had told Tommy something about the Arrow being a hero. Felicity had looked toward Oliver and seen his cheeks turn just a shade darker before he lowered his head and kept cleaning. She smiled to herself though, happy with the fact that people were finally seeing Oliver for what he really was.

About an hour into their work Oliver finally declared that they could keep cleaning up later, because he knew that Felicity had something to tell them all. Truth be told, however, Felicity wasn't even sure where to begin.

“Okay,” she said after a moment. The three men were watching her curiously, waiting for her to continue but she only bit her lip and swallowed thickly.

“Come on, Felicity,” Diggle urged. “There's nothing that you can say that will upset us more than last night's events did.”

Felicity looked at her friend and nodded slowly before speaking again. “Well, you see, last night, when I was under the influence of Malcolm's sound device, something happened,” she said. “It was like images and sounds began flashing in my mind, like some kind of old video tape, all blurred together. I think it was suppressed memories from my time in captivity.”

The three men remained quiet and Felicity forced herself to take another breath.

“Do you remember how I told you guys that my memories are all messed up about that time? That I remember most of it but some things are really blurry to me?” Felicity asked. Oliver nodded, as did Diggle. Tommy only kept listening. “Well, the thing is that I think there might have been something else in play and that I got it all mixed up somehow when I suppressed my memories.”

“What exactly does this mean then?” Tommy questioned.

“I think it means that something else might be going on,” Felicity said. “We know that Malcolm was responsible for the Undertaking now, but some things still don't make sense,” she pressed, looking toward Oliver, hoping that he would understand.

“The army of hybrids,” Oliver stated after a moment.

“Exactly,” Felicity nodded. “I mean, what happened to the werewolves turned against their wills? What happened to _that_ crucial part of the Undertaking?”

“Damn it,” Diggle said. “I was so wrong about my earlier statement. This shit apparently _could_ get worse.”

“Hold on, I think you lost me,” Tommy said. “Stop speaking in riddles and just come out and say it.”

“I think there's someone else out there making the hybrids. Someone else is building an army and yes, Malcolm's plan was the Undertaking, but someone else has another plan and we're back to square one because we have _no idea_ who is behind the hybrid army.”

-§-

Oliver and Felicity returned to the mansion in silence. After the initial shock of Felicity's discovery, Oliver had told both Diggle and Tommy that they would need to get the lair up and running as soon as possible in order for them to begin their new search. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since the Undertaking and there was already a new threat that they would need to deal with. Oliver was exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to just go to bed, but he knew that he had something else to deal with. His sister had to know the truth about him and he figured that after over two years, it was time for him to share his story with her.

“Oliver.”

He breathed in, looking down at his hands that rested on his lap. Felicity's voice was calm and collected and he felt her reach over to take his hand.

“I don't know how to tell her, Felicity,” he confessed, voice shaky.

“It doesn't matter how you tell her,” Felicity said. “What matters is that you _do_. And I'll be there with you because you're not alone in this.”

Oliver looked over at her then and met her calm blue eyes. For a moment, he almost wished that they would flash gold but he had no idea why he felt like that. Instead of over-thinking it, he lifted his hand and reached for her cheek, cupping it gently. Slowly, he brought her face towards his, leaning his forehead against hers for a moment before pulling back and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He couldn't put it into words just how much her being there for him meant, although, he truly wished that she could somehow sense it.

The two of them walked into the mansion together and Oliver waited in the foyer while Felicity talked to Roy first. They had agreed that Roy needed to be filled into the whole situation; it was time for him too to know the truth about Oliver. With the threat of a hybrid army, they needed all the allies that they could get and Felicity had thought this through ever since she had found out about Roy having suppressed werewolf genes.

“Now I understand why she hangs out with you so much,” Roy said, looking a little green when he approached Oliver. He then put his hand out for Oliver to shake and Oliver took it giving the young man a short nod. “You saved my life,” Roy stated. “I can never tell you how grateful I am for that.”

“Felicity played a great role in that rescue,” Oliver told him, looking toward the beautiful blonde who was standing next to him. “In fact, sometimes I wonder where I would be today if she hadn't joined my team.”

Felicity smiled his way and Oliver's eyes remained trained on her until the moment that Thea walked into the room.

“What's going on?” his sister wondered, looking confusedly between the three of them.

“Thea,” Oliver turned to her. “There's something I need to talk to you about.”

He asked her to listen to him until he finished and they went to sit down in the living room. Oliver talked for about an hour straight, trying to make Thea understand at least a portion of the things that had happened to him when he had been away from Starling City during those five years that the world had thought he was dead. He talked and Thea stared and Felicity was by his side as he explained the People of Darkness to his sister and she flashed her fangs and everything when it came to showing Thea that he wasn't just crazy.

What shocked him the most, though, was the fact that throughout that hour, Thea hardly spoke a word. She didn't interrupt him and she didn't look directly into his eyes as he explained the reason that Malcolm had gone mad and forced their mother into helping with setting the Undertaking in motion. When Felicity took over and explained more about the Dark Ones and Roy stepped up and told his own secret, Thea remained silent, not looking directly at any of them.

Once they were done, Oliver waited, not knowing what to do now that the truth was out. He hoped that his sister understood and he hoped that she didn't hate him for keeping it from her for so long.

“So, you're a werewolf, huh?” Thea asked, finally looking over at Roy. It was the first thing she had said in such a long time that Oliver was actually a little startled at hearing her voice, but then again, he supposed that the sharpness of the tone was even more alarming.

“I'm, uh, going to be… I guess,” Roy replied, looking at her worriedly, almost as if he could sense that she was off. Maybe he could, Oliver thought to himself. Maybe Roy was getting better at picking up human emotions because his first transformation was coming in. “I didn't know, Thea. I'm sorry for not telling you the moment I found out.”

“Well,” Thea clicked her tongue, “my mother is in prison for a crime she was basically forced to commit, my brother is the Arrow and his girlfriend is a hybrid. I think that my boyfriend being a werewolf isn't exactly the worst thing that's happening in my life right now.”

There was an underlying bitterness in Thea's tone and Oliver didn't like it. He took a step toward her when she abruptly stood from the couch. “Thea–”

“No, Ollie,” Thea shook her head. “I'm sorry, but… I just need a moment. I need some time to think about all of this.”

“Are you angry with me?” Oliver had to know.

“No,” Thea shook her head. “No, I don't think I am. I just… I don't know.”

“I understand,” Oliver nodded solemnly. “You need time.”

“Yes,” Thea nodded, looking as if she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. “I'm sorry.”

“No, I'm the one who is sorry,” Oliver said, wishing that he could just step up to her and embrace her and give her comfort. He knew that she needed space now though. She wouldn't want to be near him until she had time to process it all and he couldn't blame her for it.

That's why he didn't say anything when she walked off to her bedroom, only taking Roy with her as she did.

-§-

“She's not angry with you,” Felicity told Oliver for what felt like the hundredth time to her. She wondered whether it annoyed him that she was sounding like a broken record, but she supposed that he would have said something to her about it if it had.

“I don't know, Felicity…” Oliver trailed off as he changed into a pair of sweatpants and removed his shirt.

“ _I_ know,” Felicity said. “I could pick up on her emotions and anger certainly wasn't one of them. Mostly, she's just sad.”

“It's my fault that she's upset then and even you can't deny that,” Oliver said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Felicity walked over to him and stood in front of him, between his parted legs. She cupped his cheeks and forced him to look up at her. “Oliver, she's upset about a lot of things right now, not just you being the Arrow,” she reminded him. “Your mom isn't here and Thea hasn't even had time to deal with that before we threw everything else at her. I'm not saying that we were wrong to do so or that we should have waited, because God knows she needs to be prepared for what's coming.” She brushed his hair back from his forehead, tilting her head slightly as she looked down at him. “You're a good man, Oliver Queen and everyone you care about knows it, including Thea. She just needs time now and we're going to give it to her.”

“Is it a good thing that she didn't push away Roy tonight?” Oliver wondered.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded. “That means that the truth about the Dark Ones isn't going to scare her away. I believe this is more about her just having to deal with everything that will change now that she knows the truth.”

Oliver looked up at her and Felicity's heart clenched at the look he was giving her. She wondered if he knew how he made her feel when he looked at her like that; as if she was someone that was a good thing in his life, someone who he knew he could trust.

“How do you always know what to say?” he asked her, offering her a weak smile.

Felicity smiled brightly at him in return, “I guess it might just be one of my many talents.”

Oliver chuckled lightly at her lame joke and Felicity's chest felt warm. Oliver took her hands in his, running his thumbs over her knuckles slowly as he met her gaze again. “Will you stay here tonight?”

Felicity replied to his question with only a nod and another smile which she hoped could convey just how much it meant to her that he was inviting her to stay another night.

It was a dangerous path that they were walking and Felicity knew how easily feelings could change and emotions could grow. While she didn't want to risk the friendship that she and Oliver had, she knew that she would be a fool to deny that she felt something deep and true for her; something that had already crossed into another territory. Felicity slipped into the shirt that she had slept in the night before and made her way into the bed. Oliver laid on his back, watching her just as she had watched him, neither of them shying away from one another or the new-found intimacy between them. When she laid down next to him, Oliver surprised her by rolling onto his side and placing his hand on her lower back so that he could push her closer toward him. She didn't hesitate to scoot closer and lazily throwing an arm around him.

“I thought you said this couldn't happen again,” Felicity whispered, pressing her nose into the crook between his neck and his shoulder.

“We're not sharing blood,” he replied, his voice equally quiet. “Besides, I'm not sure I want to be alone tonight.”

Hearing the vulnerability in his voice, Felicity acted on instinct when she tightened her grip on him, wrapping her leg around his hip as she moved even closer to him. Every inch of her front was pressed against his and she sighed contently into his chest when she felt him place his hand on her bare thigh.

“We're going to find the real Master, Oliver,” she told him. “We're going to stop him, together.”

Oliver hummed against her, his fingers trailing letters that she couldn't quite make out on her skin. Goosebumps raised all across her body and she wanted to just pull him in closer and tell him to tighten his grip on her further, but she resisted the urge to do so.

“What are we going to do now?” Oliver wondered, his lips brushing against her cheek as he spoke, his nose brushing against her neck as he inhaled deeply, almost as if he was trying to breathe her in.

Felicity sighed into the side of his neck, her fingers digging into his back slightly and she heard him let out a low hiss of breath as his lips gently connected with the underside of her jaw. She inched her fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp before tugging slightly on him to make him look into her eyes, wanting him to see that she spoke what was truly in her heart when it came to him. He met her gaze and for a moment, he just stared. Felicity suppressed the urge to shudder and finally just leaned her head back against his chest, listening to his wild heartbeat.

“We're just going to keep going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you guys to know that I read all your comments on the last chapter and I am so sorry that I didn't have time to get back to you on them. A lot of you were wondering if I will really hold out on the slow burn until the very end and without spoiling too much, the answer is a simple no. Yes, you'll have to wait for a few more chapters, but in chapter 20 (which I'll start writing tonight) there will be a time jump and we'll move forward with a few things. There will also be something else happening in there that I don't want to reveal just yet.
> 
> Either way, thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked the chapter enough to comment, despite it being more of a "set up" chapter for the hunt for the person behind the hybrid army!
> 
> Thank you for your support! Lots of love to you guys! xx


	20. The Russian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months after the Undertaking, a rescue mission takes Oliver, Felicity and Diggle overseas to Russia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! First things first: I was going to update this weekend, but unfortunately, my baby brother broke his leg in a skating accident (it was his first time skating on his new skateboard and I have no idea how he fell, but he broke his leg) and I was stuck with him in the hospital for three days while he underwent surgery and whatnot. He's feeling better now and we're back at home, but he won't be fully recovered for another six weeks.
> 
> Either way, here is the new chapter of Hunted! Yay! As you can see, it's called "The Russian" and parts of it will take place in Russia. Since I don't speak Russian, I decided to just put the Russian dialogue in cursive. Hopefully, that will make sense to you as you read it. I'm not saying anything else regarding that, so that I don't spoil anything.
> 
> So: When Oliver is speaking to a Russian and the English text is CURSIVE, just pretend that it's in Russian. Got it? Great!
> 
> Now, please enjoy the chapter! :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 20: The Russian**

 

Three months passed.

Three months where a lot of things happened. The Glades was slowly being re-built after the disaster but after the first month of silence, the Dark Ones became more active again. Oliver and his team worked their hardest to repair the Foundry and as soon as they got up and running again, the hunting began anew.

For the past two months, Oliver had been taking down Dark Ones together with his friends. After the Undertaking, Quentin Lance had finally learned the truth about the People of Darkness and a long meeting between the detective and the Arrow was forced to be had because of Felicity. She believed that with Lance's help, they wouldn't need to kill all the Dark Ones, especially those who were being forced into working for the bigger bad ones of the city. Some of the Dark Ones were lone wolves who had lost their packs or left them willingly, only joining the bad ones because they needed to have a sense of belonging somewhere. From time to time it was difficult to make out who the real bad ones were, but so far, it had been working well for them. Oliver took them down with simple wolfsbane or vervain injections and Lance locked them away in a secret underground department in Iron Heights that had been used during the Cold War for various kinds of experiments by an organization called _A.R.G.U.S._ It was Diggle who had used some old military contacts in order to make the deal and set up the cells so that they would be able to hold the Dark Ones. As far as Oliver was concerned, it was a new way that worked well for him.

His view on the Dark Ones had changed a lot during the time that he had gotten to know Felicity. She was an example of how not all Nightcrawlers had to be evil through and through and since Roy had joined their team officially, Oliver had come to the conclusion that he needed to give even the Dark Ones a chance instead of just killing them. Well, at least the ones who he suspected weren't completely evil. During the months of apprehending the Dark Ones, Oliver had learned that there really were some kinds of monsters that were truly evil. Blood wolves couldn't be reasoned with at all and neither could lethalis shapeshifters because they were the creatures who had forgotten what it was like to be human. Lethalis shapeshifters often became mad due to the fact that they changed human shape and most of them, after years of changing, forgot their own face. Blood wolves were killers through and through and there was no stopping their blood lust. Even Felicity understood that because she had learned that when she was a young werewolf herself.

Most of the time, Felicity spent by her computers, trying to find any kind of lead on the real Master. When she wasn't doing that, she was teaching Roy the ways of a wolf and giving the rest of the team what Tommy called 'Dark One 101' lessons. On the second full moon after the Undertaking, Roy turned for the first time. It was a difficult transformation that lasted well over five hours and Felicity was by his side through it all, turning at the same pace as him so that he wouldn't be alone. Oliver had stood guard outside the garage that they had used for Felicity's transformation and even Thea had come along, not wanting to leave her boyfriend to go through it without her.

Oliver's sister had been distancing herself from him since she found out the truth about him being the Arrow, but from what Oliver had gathered, it wasn't about him being the Arrow as much as it was about him not believing that she would understand. Thea was hurt by the fact that he hadn't trusted her with the truth from the very beginning but she wasn't necessarily angry with him. It was her way of dealing with everything, but Oliver knew that she talked to Felicity frequently, which made it difficult for him to understand why she couldn't talk to Oliver directly.

After Roy's first change, the young wolf and Felicity grew closer and bonded. Felicity had explained it to the rest of the team as a thing between pack wolves. When they had turned together and Felicity had been there for him, Roy's inner wolf had bonded with hers in the way a Beta would bond to its Alpha. Essentially, that meant that Roy was loyal to Felicity and that Felicity felt a sense of responsibility towards Roy. Oliver, Diggle and Tommy thought it was interesting to see the way that the two of them interacted in the lair. Felicity treated Roy like any big sister would treat their younger brother and Roy looked up to the blonde in every way possible. Of course, the newly formed pack bond between Felicity and Roy hadn't done anything to affect his relationship with Thea and Felicity had explained it as being something like a mating bond. Roy was deeply in love with Thea and for a wolf, true love like that normally meant a love that would last forever.

Since Felicity had taken up Roy as her apprentice – From time to time she actually referred to him as her young Padawan, which always made Oliver roll his eyes at her – Oliver had decided to officially give Tommy some proper training. His friend had been forced to put down his father but before that, he had only stood there helplessly watching Diggle and Oliver engage in a fight with Malcolm. Enough had been enough and Tommy had told Oliver that he wanted to be able to protect himself and Laurel if he ever needed it. His friend was a quick learner, despite complaining about wanting Felicity as a teacher because she wasn't as strict as Oliver.

While Starling City was recovering from what they understood to be a terrorist attack, Felicity remained at the Queen mansion for two more weeks until she managed to find herself an apartment. She didn't have many belongings, but Oliver and the rest of the guys helped her move in and make herself comfortable there. About a week after that, Felicity announced that Roy would be moving in with her because the earthquake had left his place in ruin. Whatever they had been able to save from the rubble, they moved into Felicity's spare bedroom which was now Roy's room and even though Oliver knew that there was nothing _like that_ going on between Felicity and Roy, their bond still made him itch a little.

The lines between Oliver and Felicity had started getting blurred after the night of the Undertaking. They had shared blood with one another, something which Felicity had never done with anyone before, and after that, they had only seemed to grow closer. Oliver would let his hand linger on the small of her back whenever they stood close to each other and Felicity would drop chaste kisses on his cheeks whenever they parted ways. Sometimes, in the Foundry when they were alone, Oliver would walk up to Felicity and place his hands on her shoulders, subconsciously kneading the tense muscles as she gave him an update on her searches.

The search for the person behind the hybrids was going slow and for the past three months, nothing new had come up. It frustrated Oliver to no end because he wished that he could just end it once and for all so that he could go on with just keeping the people of the city safe with the help of his friends. It didn't help that he felt as if the whole world was weighing down on his shoulders with both the safety of the civilians in Starling City and the trouble over at Queen Consolidated. Since Moira's arrest, the company has been in turmoil over who will take over as CEO. Board members began selling off their shares because they didn't want to be associated with a company that helped a madman create a natural disaster which had lead to the deaths of hundreds of people. The few who stayed were loyal to the Queen family and understood that Moira had been forced into helping out of sheer fear. That, however, didn't stop other people from trying to take over the company.

Isabel Rochev was one of the people who had bought her way into the company and she was trying to take over by buying the other board members out. Most refused out of loyalty which was the only thing that put a stop to her plan. Even though the Queen family still held the majority of the shares, the company wasn't stable and with Isabel's manipulative skills, Oliver feared that she would somehow convince the others to let her lead as CEO.

The Rochev problem was one of the reasons that Felicity and Oliver had grown closer. The time that they didn't spend together in the lair, they usually spent together at Queen Consolidated, going to meetings and trying to figure out how to move forward without losing the company. Their struggle to maintain the control made them both frustrated and often, when Felicity would see how much it was tearing down Oliver, she would try to take him out and away from it all so that he could clear his head. Most of the time, they ended up driving away from the city on short trips to a lake nearby but other times she took him home to her apartment where they spent time watching movies together. Oliver had fallen asleep there numerous times and every time he woke up, it only got more and more difficult for him to pull away from Felicity.

His feelings for her were confusing but they were growing as well and he didn't know what to do about them. He didn't want to risk what they had but at times, he felt as if they were both already doing so. Diggle had tried to address it a few times, though Oliver always shut him down. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about with anyone but Felicity, although he just couldn't seem to make himself bring it up. All he knew for certain was that they were walking a narrow and dangerous path between friendship and something more and he had no idea what he would do in case they actually crossed the line and gave in to each other.

-§-

“This is preposterous!” Mr. Miller said, shaking his head. “Mr. Steele, you can't be serious about this!”

Walter watched him calmly, not moving at all in his seat, “Oh, I am very serious indeed, Doug.”

“You're signing away your position in the company to Oliver?” Mr. Miller questioned again. “You want him to take over as CEO?”

“I believe that Queen Consolidated should be run by a member of the Queen family,” Walter replied, looking towards Oliver. “Considering everything that is happening with my wife at the moment, I believe it's my time to step down and let the young man that I've been teaching for the past two years, take over. I need to focus on my wife and her awaiting trial because to me, family is far more important than any company in the world.”

A murmur spread among the other board members, but in the end, they all seemed to agree. Oliver swallowed thickly, not saying anything when he was asked if he would like to accept the position as CEO.

“I do believe it's time for a break,” Felicity spoke up next to Oliver, standing up abruptly from the table. “Why don't you all enjoy the refreshments and Mr. Queen will return to you shortly?”

Oliver stood up as well and before anyone could protest, he walked out of the room with hurried steps. Everything around him was breaking apart and the walls felt as if they were closing in on him. He needed to breathe but there was no way for him to just leave the building without people questioning where he had gone. The fact that Isabel Rochev sat across from him around the table, giving him smug looks whenever a board member mentioned something that implied that he wouldn't be good enough for the job made his stomach turn. It didn't help that Felicity put her hand on his knee to keep him from jumping it up and down all the time; it didn't help that she tried to offer him silent support.

Without thinking, Oliver entered the men's restroom, making his way over to a faucet and washing his face with ice-cold water. He heard the door swing open only seconds after he had closed it and he didn't need to turn around to see who it was, because he could feel her presence there in the room.

“Get out,” Felicity said to one of the employees who just exited one of the stalls and in the mirror in front of him, Oliver could see how the man looked at her confusedly for a moment, but then scurried away under her angry stare.

He breathed heavily, trying to stop the constricting feeling in his chest that was making it difficult to breathe. The lock on the door clicked behind him and he knew that Felicity had locked them in so that no one would disturb.

“Oliver,” Felicity said behind him and he felt her hand on his shoulder. Her voice was calm, despite the worry that made it through in it as well. He didn't know what to do, everything was breaking apart and he _didn't know what to do_.

“Felicity, what am I supposed to do?” he asked, turning around to look at her.

Sadness was evident in her eyes and she furrowed her eyebrows at him, reaching for a paper towel. He turned around, leaning back against the counter, standing with his feet slightly apart so that Felicity could fit between them as she began drying his face with the paper towel.

“You're supposed to do what you think is the right thing to do,” Felicity replied. “I can't tell you what that is because you have to figure it out for yourself.”

“Walter wants to focus on getting my mom out of prison,” Oliver said. “Shouldn't I be doing the same thing?”

“You're still hunting the Master, Oliver,” Felicity pointed out.

“I know,” he said, closing his eyes when she finally dabbed away the final drops of water from his face. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against her shoulder and took a deep breath. “With everything that's been going on… Thea, Roy, my mom, the Master and the company… I feel like my mind is going to explode.”

“Thea will come around, Oliver,” Felicity said. Oliver shivered when he felt her fingers at the base of his neck, playing with the short hair there. “I'm handling Roy and the entire team is on the lookout for any clues concerning the Master. So if Walter wants to focus on your mother, let him do so. You'll be there for the hearing. You're still going to support her.”

“And what is left then? The company? Do you really think that I can take over as CEO? Because I sure as hell don't,” Oliver muttered into her neck as he turned his face toward her. This time it, was Felicity's turn to shudder and she didn't even try to hide it. He felt her fingers tighten their grip on his hair slightly and Oliver's own hands fell to her hips, squeezing her gently.

Felicity took a step closer to him, her body coming up flush against his as she turned her head toward him, forcing him to look up into her eyes. He was awkwardly bent, but his eyes were level with her mouth and he suddenly felt like he shouldn't move at all and just let her take the lead on this thing; whatever it was.

“I think you can do anything that you set your mind into, Oliver,” Felicity said, her breath ghosting over his lips. He looked up into her eyes, feeling that sharpness in his chest again; that same clenching, but for a completely different reason.

“You think?” His voice was quiet because the atmosphere in the room made it clear that this conversation was one of _those_ conversations; the kind of conversations that blurred the lines between him and Felicity, the ones that made him think that it was possible that there might be something _more_ between them already.

“I do, Oliver,” Felicity replied, her voice mirroring his in tone. “I really, really do.”

At first, he couldn't really comprehend what was happening. He felt himself gravitating towards Felicity, his nose brushing against hers. A shuddered breath escaped her lips and Oliver found himself closing his eyes.

It wasn't until Felicity's fingers slid down his neck to settle on his lower back that Oliver seemed to wake from the daze. He opened his eyes, only to see Felicity's still half-closed. She was breathing hard but Oliver knew it must be because of the same emotion that was currently running through his own veins; the feeling that he didn't want to name.

He reached up, fingers brushing against her parted lips and watched in fascination as her cheeks tinted pink. Felicity's sharp intake of breath and her eyes snapping wide open as she met his gaze made Oliver pull his fingers away from her soft lips. He met her eyes and a tightness built up, deep inside his belly. It felt like he had touched a live wire when Felicity looked into his eyes, black bleeding into blue before her pupils left only a thin ring of _golden_ , shining in a way that he had never seen before.

Oliver took a step back, knowing that he needed to put some space between them both before he did something they wouldn't be able to come back from. He couldn't help the twinge of disappointment that filled him when Felicity looked away from him, breathing heavily through her nose again as she tried to calm herself.

“I'm sorry,” Oliver blurted, before he could stop himself from speaking.

Felicity didn't say anything as she slowly turned back to face him again, the red even more evident on her face. Her irises were back to blue, but Oliver could tell that it had been just as difficult for her to pull away this time around too.

“I believe in you,” she told him instead of commenting on his apology. The look that she was giving him made him feel stronger and all he wanted to do was pull her close once more. He knew that he couldn't though; not now that things were so fragile.

Instead, he settled for reaching out to her and he was happy when Felicity took his hand in hers and laced their fingers together.

-§-

A week later, Felicity was sitting at her computer in the lair, looking through files and the information she had gathered so far on the real Master. It didn't even fill out half a page yet and it was frustrating her to no end. Oliver wasn't exactly helping her frustrations by working the salmon ladder on the other side of the room. The two of them had grown a lot closer since the Undertaking and this past week they had been working more at Queen Consolidated than in the Foundry. There had been a lot of paperwork to be filled out when the board finally made a decision on the CEO position, but Felicity had been thrilled when Isabel Rochev lost in the vote.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Tommy said as he walked into the room. Felicity turned towards him and watched him approach Oliver, giving him a one-armed hug. “You're officially the new CEO of Queen Consolidated. How does it feel to be the only one here with a real job?”

“Hey!” Felicity protested. “Last time I checked, my job is pretty real too.”

Oliver blinked a few times and his lips quirked up, “Well, it's not like you bring me any coffee…”

Felicity shot him a glare, but she knew that he was just joking. It was good seeing him happy again; too long had passed since she had seen a proper smile on his face.

“It's not like you're threatening to fire me,” Felicity returned.

“I might just,” Oliver teased, walking toward her.

“You wouldn't dare,” Felicity said, her own lips quirking up into a smile.

The two of them looked at each other, smiling softly and Felicity couldn't help but feel the small flutters in her stomach that she had been getting more and more used to.

“Do you guys want me to leave you alone or something?” Tommy asked, bringing them both out of their small moment.

“Oh please, Tommy,” Felicity rolled her eyes at him before going back to her work. She couldn't help but notice how Oliver remained standing close to her.

All of the sudden, their phones simultaneously pinged and Felicity picked hers up to see an S.O.S. message from Diggle. She frowned to herself and a moment later, the doors to the Foundry opened and Diggle hurried down the stairs.

“Good, you guys are here,” he stated, his tone serious.

Felicity couldn't help but notice the tenseness in him as she stood up from her chair to meet him halfway into the room. “What's wrong?” she asked.

“A friend of mine who works for A.R.G.U.S. got kidnapped on a mission,” Diggle said. “I need to go after her.”

“A friend?” Tommy repeated. “Is she the one who hooked us up with the secret department of experimentation for our not-too-bad bad guys?”

“Yeah, she's the one,” Diggle nodded. He turned to Oliver, “I have to leave and go after her, man.”

“I understand,” Oliver nodded. “Where was she kidnapped?”

“Russia,” Diggle answered.

“ _Russia_?” Felicity looked at Tommy and Oliver who had spoken at the same time as her.

“Wait, Dig, you can't go to Russia on your own,” Felicity shook her head. “Where is she even being held?”

“At a high-security prison,” Diggle replied.

“You planned on breaking into a high-security prison on your own and then breaking out again with one of the prisoners?” Tommy wondered. “Man, you don't have to do all of that alone.”

“I don't want you guys to risk your lives for something that I have to do,” Diggle said. “I have to get Lyla out of there and I don't want you in danger.”

“Dig, we're helping,” Felicity said.

“I have contacts in Russia,” Oliver said. “The Bratva can help us.”

“Wait a second,” Felicity looked at Oliver. “You want the Russian _mob_ to help us? Is that safe?”

“Felicity, you're a hybrid and we hunt Dark Ones every night. Are Russian mobsters _that_ scary?” Oliver countered.

Felicity smacked his arm, “No, but I just mean that mobsters are mobsters. I don't really know how I feel about getting involved with them.”

“Don't worry about it,” Oliver told her. “You're going to be staying here.”

“ _Excuse you_?” Felicity glared. “If you're going with Diggle, I'm going too.”

“And who is going to keep watch here in Starling City?” Oliver asked.

“Tommy's here,” Felicity stated. “I've trained Roy enough for him to be trusted on patrol in the streets. Besides, maybe he can put on the hood a few times while we're gone so that the Arrow can be spotted while you're out of the country.”

“I don't like it,” Oliver said.

Felicity rolled her eyes at him, “You don't have to.”

They stared at each other for a long while. She searched his eyes for the words that he didn't want to speak but Oliver's face remained unreadable.

“Did I come in at a bad time?” Roy suddenly asked. Felicity looked at him, noticing for the first time that he had come into the lair. She had been so deeply concentrated on her conversation with Oliver that she hadn't even noticed him. “I got the S.O.S. from you, Diggle,” he pointed to his phone.

“No,” Oliver said before Felicity could speak to her apprentice. “You actually came in at just the right time. We have a mission for you this week. Diggle, Felicity and I will be traveling to Russia.”

Felicity grinned.

“Russia?” Roy questioned. “What are you going to be doing in Russia?”

“Business trip,” Oliver deadpanned. “Might as well see how our over-seas office is doing.”

-§-

Leaving Starling City and traveling to Russia under the disguise of a corporate mission turned out to be a bit more difficult than Oliver had first anticipated. Isabel Rochev had a thing for meddling in his business ever since she had bought herself a place in the company and she had insisted on coming along on the trip, thinking that he and Felicity had been leaving the country for a romantic getaway date. Oliver hadn't even wanted to get into that one with the woman but he and Felicity had shared a look when she had overheard what Isabel had hinted at regarding the two of them.

On the plane, Felicity had done a fairly good job at pretending to just be spending time with Diggle. They needed to seem as normal as possible and look as if they weren't going on a secret rescue mission in Russia. While Felicity and Diggle talked and played cards with one another, Oliver had been forced to sit and listen to Isabel talking about all the meetings they would have to go to and all the associates they would need to talk to. Oliver didn't even listen to her half the time, but it was a long flight so by the time that they actually reached their destination in Moscow, his head felt as if it was going to explode.

“How are you feeling?” Felicity asked him as they finally walked into the hotel.

“Like I want to bash my head into the wall,” Oliver admitted.

“That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea,” he said, shooting Isabel a glare for good measure. He turned back to Felicity. “We should get settled in our rooms and then meet in Diggle's to set up some plans.”

“What about the Ms. Ice Heart?” Felicity wondered, glancing toward Isabel.

“She's going to be making calls and setting meetings all day,” Oliver said. “She pretty much told me that she would handle it all because she thought that I was inadequate.”

“God, I wish I could just punch her and get away with it,” Felicity said through gritted teeth.

Oliver chuckled, placing his hand on her upper arm, “Don't worry about it. It might be better if she took care of it. I mean, I'm still trying to play the role of not knowing what I'm doing, right?”

Felicity just gave him a look and tilted her head, looking toward Isabel again. The brunette woman walked up to them and Oliver immediately dropped his hand from Felicity's arm.

“Well, I can see that the two of you are already getting cozy,” Isabel stated coldly. “Don't worry, Mr. Queen. I will not let you _screw_ up this trip.”

“Oliver won't be screwing anything,” Felicity frowned. Her eyes widened, “I meant that he won't be screwing anything _up_. He's good at his job. Walter has been teaching him how to do it for the past two years.”

“What Mr. Steele has been teaching Mr. Queen is that it's okay for him to run out on business meetings and dropping out on important board assemblies,” Isabel said. “In my book, that hasn't been teaching him a thing.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes at her and Oliver took a step toward her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry too much about my reputation, Ms. Smoak,” Oliver said. “I do believe that everyone knows that Ms. Rochev is far more qualified than me to handle the meetings on her own. Besides, that might give me some time to visit some old friends.”

“Friends?” Isabel raised an eyebrow.

“From college,” Oliver said.

“Which one?”

“Don't remember,” Oliver grinned. “One of the four that I dropped out of.”

Isabel huffed, crossing her arms, “That shows just how little you care about the company. I'm giving you a month before the board changes its mind about naming you CEO.”

“You're being awfully generous,” Oliver said, only managing to aggravate Isabel further.

“Well then,” Isabel said. “I'll debrief you on the meetings when I'm done, Mr. Queen.”

“I look forward to it,” Oliver said, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was being sarcastic. “Now if you excuse me, I believe that we've been on a long flight and I need some rest.”

“Naturally,” Isabel narrowed her eyes. Oliver didn't miss the way that her eyes flickered over to Felicity, who was still glaring at her. “Enjoy your evening then.”

“You too,” Oliver said as he began walking away from her, pushing Felicity along.

“I can't stand that woman,” Felicity said, her voice low as she allowed herself being led away by Oliver.

“I know, Felicity,” Oliver smiled.

“I'm glad that at least one of us is able to keep the cool when it comes to her,” she continued.

Oliver chuckled, “Yeah, I don't have to be a hybrid to sense how much you wanted to jump on her.”

“Oh, believe me,” Felicity said darkly, “if I was just a little bit meaner, I wouldn't have minded ripping into her throat.”

-§-

Oliver looked out the window in John's hotel room as he waited for Felicity to connect her laptop to the hotel's Internet.

“Dig, can you fill us in on what your friend Lyla was doing here in Russia when she got captured?” Oliver asked, turning to Diggle who was sitting in one of the armchairs, also patiently waiting for Felicity to hook up their technology.

“She was here on an intel operation in a Russian gulag,” Diggle explained. “A.R.G.U.S. contacted me and recruited me to break her out since they don't have sufficient resources for the op. Amanda Waller decided that I owed them because they are helping us detain Dark Ones at Iron Heights.”

“A.R.G.U.S. doesn't have sufficient resources?” Oliver frowned. “That's a first…”

“You sound like you've worked with them before,” Felicity pointed out. She paused for a moment, blinking a few times, “Have you worked with them before?”

Oliver sent her a look, “I have crossed paths with them a few times, actually.” He had decided a while ago that there was no point in lying about his time with A.R.G.U.S. Sure, Diggle had been the one to strike the deal with them regarding the special prison for the Dark Ones, but Oliver had had dealings with them in the past.

“You never mentioned that,” Diggle said calmly. “Then again, there are a lot of things you've never mentioned over the years, so I should probably be glad that you actually said something now.”

“What kind of path crossing was it? Peaceful or… _arrow_ -y?” Felicity wondered.

“It can never be peaceful when A.R.G.U.S. is involved,” Oliver simply stated before turning to Diggle. “You were saying? About Lyla?”

“Yes, Waller wanted me to get her out of the prison,” Diggle said.

“And you just agreed?” Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Is there something else we should know about all of this, _John?_ ” Using his real name was a way for Oliver to show Diggle that he could see through his act of pretending that this was just a simple get-in-and-out-again mission for the man. There was something else going on there, especially with the way that Lyla Michaels had helped them talk to Waller and set up the prison deal for the Nightcrawlers.

“Lyla is my ex-wife,” Diggle replied.

“ _She's your what?_ ” Oliver looked at Felicity, only to see that she too had looked at him. They had spoken at the same time, equally surprised by Diggle's revelation.

“Ex-wife,” Diggle repeated himself, even though Oliver was certain that he knew that he didn't need to.

“Now, _this_ makes so much more sense now,” Felicity said. “I mean, with the way you didn't even hesitate to take this mission on? That's some deep love you must still feel for that woman.”

“Felicity, please,” Diggle sighed. “I just need to know what our plan is. How do I get in and how do I get out again?”

“First of all, we're going to need help to get you in,” Oliver said. “A friend of mine should be able to help us, but we're going to have to meet up with him.”

“The clock is ticking,” Diggle said. “Who knows what they might be doing to Lyla in that prison? We need to get her out of there as soon as possible.”

“It's a good thing that it's night then,” Oliver stated, “because my friend owns a nightclub in the middle of the city and I'm certain that he'll be there tonight.”

Felicity cleared her throat, “And how do you know for sure?”

“Because he's always there,” Oliver said. “Anatoly is the leader of the Solntsevskaya Bratva here in Russia.”

“A mobster, Oliver, really?” Felicity sarcastically said.

“The easiest way to get into a prison is to get arrested,” Oliver shrugged. “Besides, Anatoly has men everywhere. It wouldn't surprise me if he actually has people working for him in the prison that Lyla's being kept. They would be able to help you get out.”

“But first we need to meet this Anatoly guy, am I right?” Felicity asked. “At a nightclub?”

“I hope you've brought something nice to wear,” Oliver nodded. “That place will most likely be packed.”

Felicity sighed and looked over at Diggle, who only nodded. “As long as he'll help me get in there as soon as possible, I won't have anything against working as your bodyguard tonight,” Diggle said.

Oliver offered him a curt nod in return. He looked over at Felicity then and the blonde merely shrugged at him, indicating that she didn't really care if she had to come with them tonight. Normally, she would stay behind, but this time around, the mission was different. He couldn't leave her alone in a hotel and go out to meet up with Anatoly. His mind would be on Felicity, no matter what his old friend said and that meant that he would be distracted. It would be better for him to have Felicity with him and by his side, but he couldn't also help but worry about Anatoly's _peculiar_ taste in women. He knew that he would need to fill Felicity in on the matter before she came with him, but at the same time, he didn't want to worry her too much. Besides, he would be there and Anatoly respected him enough to not try to pull anything with Felicity…

Or at least Oliver hoped that was the case.

-§-

“Oliver! _Moy brat!_ ” Anatoly exclaimed as he stood from his seat, approaching Oliver with quick steps before he embraced him tightly. “ _How I have missed you!_ ”

Oliver returned the embrace as good as well as he could before stepping back from the older man. “ _You're looking well, Anatoly,_ ” he said, but Anatoly's eyes seemed to already have wandered to the blonde woman behind Oliver.

“And who is this _exquisite_ creature?” he wondered, this time in English, eyes roaming over Felicity's form.

Oliver reached out his hand to his partner, offering her his hand as he pulled her a little closer to himself. “This is my friend, _Felicity._ She's under my protection during our stay here in Russia,” he said, his voice not wavering but still keeping the lightness in his tone so that Anatoly wouldn't feel threatened by it.

“Is that so?” Anatoly looked amused as he took Felicity's hand in his own, leaning down to kiss it lightly. “ _Pray tell what she would need protection from, Mr. Queen?_ ”

Oliver suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at his old friend and settled for once again taking Felicity's hand in his own. He was aware of the fact that Anatoly once again gave Felicity a once-over and he had to do everything in his power not to actually beat up the only possible ally he had in this country. Felicity, of course, hadn't made the task any easier by dressing in that tight-fitting black dress of hers, which accented the curves she had and made her look more enticing than anything she had ever worn before. The dress had looked quite modest when she had first tried it on and shown it to Oliver and it was, in _the front_. The soft material hugged her perfectly and came to an end just a few inches above her knees. Of course, Oliver had made the mistake to assume that it was just as conservative in the back and he had only noticed that it wasn't so when he had placed his hand on Felicity's lower back to lead them to the limousine which would take them to Anatoly's club. The moment he had touched her warm skin, he had pulled back and stared – quite _obviously_ – at the bared back. Thin, silvery chains were the only thing that hung down it, and Oliver was sure that his heart would beat straight out of his chest when he realized that there was no way that she could be wearing anything other than a thin scrap of material underneath, since he couldn't see any obvious trace of underwear on her body.

As soon as they had arrived at the club, they had been taken upstairs to the private section and then to Anatoly's office. Oliver had been to this club once before, but he couldn't remember it ever being as packed with people as it was tonight. He had held on to Felicity's hand tightly as they had been led through the crowd and he hadn't let go of her until the moment that Anatoly had stood up to greet him.

“ _I believe we have some business to discuss_ ,” Oliver stated. It had been a while since he had spoken in Russian, but the language was still fresh in his mind; just as his memories of his time in the Bratva.

“ _I do believe so,_ ” Anatoly nodded, suddenly looking grave before turning to Felicity with a smile. “Could I offer Ms. Felicity a drink?” he asked.

“Oh, Mr. Knyazev, you and Mr. Queen have important matters to discuss. I wouldn't want to impose,” Felicity replied and Oliver looked at her curiously to see that she was playing a role tonight as well, apparently.

“Nonsense,” Anatoly exclaimed, motioning to two men with a finger. Both of them immediately walked up to Felicity, offering two plates of various drinks. Felicity looked over at Oliver who gave her nothing more than a barely visible nod and a moment later, Felicity picked up a pink drink with a straw. She promptly took the straw between her lips – which she had painted in that dark pink color that Oliver found that he loved seeing her in – and _sucked_.

Oliver swallowed before looking away from her, settling his eyes once again on his old friend. “ _Our business?_ ” Oliver questioned.

Anatoly tore his eyes away from Felicity's mouth and grinned at Oliver, “ _Yes, our business_.”

-§-

An hour and a half later, Oliver watched in annoyance while Felicity flirted with Anatoly's guards. The men seemed to have taken a liking to her and were teaching her words in Russian while supplying her with drinks. Oliver was worried that she might have had too much to drink, in fact, but he couldn't be sure since he didn't know how much it would take to actually intoxicate a hybrid. Anatoly had agreed to help Diggle get arrested and make sure that they got out of the gulag without a hitch and Oliver couldn't wait to go back to the hotel to share the news with his friend that had stayed behind. Also, Oliver couldn't wait to get Felicity as far away from Anatoly and his men as possible.

The Russian hadn't been particularly subtle with his flirtatious behavior and even though Oliver knew that his friend was married with children now, he couldn't help but remember a time just a few years ago, when Anatoly had expressed his particular fondness for some creatures of the night. Even as Oliver had been rising in the ranks of the Bratva and working for the man, he had never been able to understand how a man who was protecting the people of Russia from the People of Darkness, could also be drawn to the Dark Ones in such a way. Back then, Anatoly had tried to make Oliver understand that not all of them were bad to the point where they couldn't be redeemed. Sure, they were still monsters in the Russian's eyes, but it didn't mean that he hadn't enjoyed spending a night or two with some particularly beautiful vampires who had only taken blood from _willing_ humans. According to Anatoly, it was empowering to share such a bond with blood-suckers, although, that had been the only thing that Oliver had never been able to agree on with his old friend.

Now, he didn't know what he thought. He knew that Felicity was one of the good ones and he remembered all too well the night of the Undertaking when he had shared blood with her. He knew what kind of effect it had had on him, even days after the exchange and despite that he had told her that he didn't want to share blood with her anymore, he couldn't help but think of how _good_ he had felt afterward. At times, it was hard enough as it was to control himself around the blonde, but seeing her all dressed up tonight and having had a drink or two himself, he couldn't help but get annoyed when Anatoly's men flirted shamelessly with her and she actually _giggled_ at them.

Did she ever giggle at him? She laughed and she chuckled, yes, but did she _giggle?_ And why did he keep feeling as if he wanted to kill those perfectly _human_ men for flirting with his very much _single_ partner, who didn't belong to anyone?

He wasn't jealous.

He refused to admit that he was…because he _wasn't_.

He needed to keep telling himself that and refrain from strangling the man who just served Felicity another sparkly, pink drink.

“ _Since when do you consort with Nightcrawlers, Oliver?_ ” Anatoly wondered, looking amused as he lifted his glass of vodka to his lips.

“ _I don't consort with them_ ,” Oliver said, taking a sip of his own drink before placing the glass on the table.

“ _Who do you think you're fooling, Brother?_ ” Anatoly snorted. “ _The nature of that blonde beauty you've brought with you tonight didn't escape me, no matter how hard you've tried to conceal it_.”

Oliver looked over at Felicity, who was now dancing with one of the men. He gripped the arms of the chair tighter as he narrowed his eyes at the sight. “ _Felicity is different_ ,” was all he said.

“ _Didn't I tell you a few years ago that some were? I remember you being opposed to my own…_ couplings _with the Dark Ones. I'm curious, since I've never been with a wolf: How good is she in bed?_ ”

Oliver turned to his friend, eyes blazing as he stood up. Anatoly remained seated as he watched Oliver with curiosity. “ _I wouldn't know, because I haven't been sleeping with her_ ,” he replied, voice sharp. “ _And she isn't just a wolf,_ Brother _. She's a hybrid._ ”

Anatoly seemed taken aback by his tone but nodded nonetheless.

“Thank you for your hospitality and for your help with our little problem,” Oliver continued in English. “I think it's time for me and Felicity to retire for the night, since we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow and she'll need to be fully alert for when we send our other friend into the lion's den.”

“Of course,” Anatoly nodded again, watching Oliver curiously.

“Good night, _Brother_ ,” Oliver said before walking over to Felicity, grabbing her hand. When she began to protest, he just pulled her along, ignoring her completely. He didn't wait around to listen to Anatoly's parting words and he didn't listen to a single question that Felicity shot his way as he pushed her into the limousine and ordered the driver to take them back to the hotel.

-§-

Oliver's hand was grasping Felicity's wrist tightly, pulling her along as they passed the lobby in the hotel and headed for the elevator. Felicity struggled not to trip over her own feet as she protested against his tugging, but her high-heels were making it a nearly impossible task.

“Oliver, stop pulling me,” she bit out as he continued to drag her out of the elevator and down to his room. He opened it with the key-card and then pushed her inside before closing the door and locking it again. Diggle was most likely in bed already, in his own room, but Oliver knew that there would be no sleeping for him tonight.

“I said _let go_ ,” Felicity finally hissed, baring her fangs at him as she pushed him away from her. Oliver glared at her darkly before heading over to the small fridge, taking out a bottle of whiskey, opening it up. He took a huge gulp straight from the bottle, never taking his eyes off of Felicity.

“Aren't you going to apologize?” Felicity wondered, her eyebrows furrowing. She had crossed her arms and Oliver couldn't help but think about how devastatingly beautiful she looked when she was angry with him.

“What for?” he asked.

“For acting like an asshole, pulling and pushing me around as if I was some kind of _pet_ that you needed to control,” Felicity said. “I'm not some _dog_ to be put on a leash, Oliver!”

“Don't you think I know that?” Oliver exclaimed, closing the distance between them in three long strides. He stared down at her, still holding the bottle of whiskey in his hand as he stalked closer, forcing her to take a few steps back. “Don't you know how _fucking_ hard it is to keep telling myself that? That you're not a monster? That you're just _you_?”

Felicity narrowed her eyes, “You're not making any sense, Oliver…”

“I mean, when you're _you_ , you're not a monster at all and it's _difficult_ for me to stay away from you then, no matter how hard I try,” Oliver tried to explain, but his words weren't coming out the way he way he was thinking them. “ _Fuck_ ,” he swore to himself, but it came out a lot louder than he had intended it to. He closed his eyes for a moment and Felicity watched him curiously. She placed her hands on his chest, over his heart. It was pounding like crazy and she wondered briefly whether he was actually okay.

“Oliver, what are you talking about?” she asked him again, willing herself to calm down. If they were both angry, there was no telling how this would go down. She needed to remain the sane one tonight, it seemed.

“I'm talking about you and how you pranced around with Anatoly's men,” Oliver growled, snapping his eyes open as he once again towered over her.

“I didn't prance around with anyone,” Felicity said calmly. “I was getting them drunk in case something would have gone down and we needed to get out of there. One of them used to work as a tech-guy in the Bratva before being promoted and he conveniently gave me some access-codes before he got too stupidly drunk to even remember his own name.”

Oliver's eyes softened slightly, “It was all business?”

Felicity felt his heart calming, but she could still sense that there was a whirlwind of emotions running through him. “Of course,” she replied. “Why would you ever think otherwise? I would _never_ \--” Felicity cut herself off and shook her head. “Oliver, why would you react this way?” she asked instead.

Oliver blinked a couple of times, shaking his head slightly. “I was _not_ jealous,” he said and for a moment, he looked surprised at his own words.

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Felicity whispered, eyes flashing golden for just a moment.

Oliver felt himself move toward her and he knew that it was just like in the restroom at Queen Consolidated. There was a pull towards her that he couldn't explain and before even he knew what he was doing, he had pressed his body fully against hers, pushing her up against the wall. A _crash_ was heard from the bottle breaking as it hit the floor where he had dropped it, but all sounds disappeared when he finally pressed his mouth to hers.

For a moment, Felicity remained still as he claimed her lips, but a second later, her hands that had been on his chest traveled up to tangle in his short strands as she opened her mouth up to his. Tongues tangling, Oliver groaned when Felicity tugged at his hair and he trailed his fingers over her body as he tried to memorize everything about the moment. The way she tasted, fruity with a hint of something stronger, most likely due to the drinks she had had tonight was intoxicating all on its own. He loved it only for a few strokes of his tongue against hers before he decided that he _hated_ it as the memories of how she had gotten the drinks came back to him. Anger and that other emotion that he refused to accept welled inside of him and he pressed his lips to hers furiously. He bit down on her lower lip, making her moan, before slipping his hands down to the back of her thighs. With one squeeze, Felicity seemed to understand his prompting and she jumped up, allowing him to hold her up against the wall as her legs wrapped around him. He could feel the heels of her shoes digging into his back but it was a pleasurable sting, just like when he felt Felicity graze her human teeth against his throat as she moved to frantically press her kisses there.

Oliver gripped her tighter, pulling her away from the wall as he walked with her still wrapped around him toward the desk. He felt shattered glass crunching beneath his shoes from the broken bottle, but figured he could have someone clean it up in the morning. The only thing he could think about now was Felicity and the growing ache to just give into her.

After placing her on the desk, he was free to tangle his own fingers into her long, blonde tresses. More sounds of things breaking were heard somewhere in the distance when Felicity pushed everything off of the table and leaned back, pulling Oliver with her by holding on to his tie. His hands traveled down her exposed back, down to her thighs before his fingers began slipping under the material of her dress. Something that could only be explained as an actual growl escaped Felicity as she pulled Oliver closer by pressing her heels against his back. Goosebumps began spreading across her skin as Oliver started trailing kisses on the side of her neck, just as she had been doing to him moments ago. He reached up and pulled the sleeve of her dress to the side, allowing him better access to her creamy skin while his other hand moved further up her dress.

Oliver claimed her mouth again as he moved his hand toward the apex of her thighs, but he froze when he felt something sharp digging into his shoulders. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over him and all of the sudden he realized what he was doing. He pushed Felicity away from himself and took a few steps back from her, panting wildly as he stared at her with wide eyes. Felicity's eyes were glowing golden and her hair disheveled. Oliver glanced down and saw that her formerly blunt fingernails had extracted into wolf-like claws and he couldn't help but notice that her fangs were out as well. This was too much. What had he done?

“We shouldn't have done that,” Oliver said, his voice shaky. He could still taste her on his lips, sense her intoxicating perfume and feel her touch, as if she was still wrapped around him. He wanted to go back to a moment ago, when he had been oblivious to anything but her body pressed against his and the path that they had started on tonight.

“Oliver, I'm sorry,” Felicity said, looking down at her hands in shame. Her claws were still out and her arousal was making it impossible for her to get her other emotions under control.

“I'm sorry too,” Oliver said quietly. “We _really_ shouldn't have done that,” he repeated, anger rearing it's ugly head in his voice.

He met Felicity's still glowing eyes and saw the moment the switch happened. It seemed like Oliver's own anger and disappointment in his lack of control was transferred to Felicity and suddenly, her eyes seemed to be blazing. “You can't honestly say that you didn't expect this would happen eventually,” Felicity said. “That this, _us_ , was just a question about _when_.”

“No, Felicity,” Oliver shook his head. “There is no _us_ outside of the team.”

“Who are you trying to convince, Oliver?” Felicity glared. “We've been tip-toeing around this since the night of the Undertaking. You know it and I know it. Hell, I think everyone else knows it too but they've just been too graceful to actually say anything about it.”

“There's _nothing_ to tip-toe around, Felicity,” Oliver gritted his teeth.

Felicity glanced down and Oliver knew that her eyes were settled on his crotch, where he knew without a doubt that his arousal was still very much obvious. He hated her in that moment, but he hated his own body even more for betraying him in such a way.

“This was nothing,” Oliver shook his head, looking away from her. “I've had one too many drinks and so have you.”

“You're going to pretend that this was some drunken mistake?” Felicity frowned. “I'm a hybrid, Oliver. It takes a lot more than a few pink cocktails to get me drunk.”

“It's still a mistake!” Oliver snapped, so loudly that Felicity actually jumped. He forced himself to keep glaring at her, even though the startled expression on her face cut him deeply. Her eyes were back to their normal blue color at least.

“Okay, it's a mistake,” Felicity said. She wasn't doing anything to hide the hurt in her tone. “What happens in Russia, stays in Russia, right?” she chuckled bitterly. “The moment we're back in Starling City, this will all be forgotten and we'll go back to being nothing more than partners, if that's what you really want.”

She was giving him that questioning look and Oliver nodded, “It's what I want.” Oliver knew that she could see right through him and a part of him wished that she would just call him out on it so that he could give in. Felicity stayed quiet though and stood up from the table, her high-heels crunching against the broken glass on the floor as she looked at him.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked. “What do you want me to do?”

She was giving him one last shot, but Oliver couldn't go there. He couldn't tell her the truth because he wasn't ready to face it. They needed to focus on what they had come here to do and if something actually happened between him and Felicity tonight, there would be no way for him to keep his mind straight for the rest of their time in Russia.

“Nothing,” he said. “Don't say anything, just go.”

He looked away from her again, not being able to look her in the eyes as he told her to leave. The sound of her heels against the floor was the only thing he heard before the door closed quietly behind her. Oliver knew that it would have hurt less if she had just gone right ahead and slammed it, but he knew her well enough to know that she was sending him a message by her quiet exit without any further protests.

Oliver heard it loud and clear and it still echoed in his head as he sat down in the armchair and buried his face in his hands.

-§-

The next day, Oliver filled Diggle in on the mission and Anatoly arranged for the arrest and the escape. It all went off without a hitch, except for the single fact that Deadshot had ended up being in the prison as well and that Diggle had been forced to use his help to extract Lyla in time. They had agreed to let Lawton go in exchange for information on who it was that had hired him to kill Diggle's brother but the lamia vampire hadn't left until he had managed to get a good couple of sly remarks about the obvious tension between Oliver and Felicity, who had decided to act as if nothing had ever happened the night before.

When they dropped off Lawton on the side of the road, they headed back to the hotel in order for Diggle and Lyla to debrief Amanda Waller over a conference call and Felicity retreated back to her own room. Oliver knew that she was avoiding him again and he told himself that he just needed to hold on for a few more hours before their flight back to the States. Once they were back home, he figured that they would able to talk and maybe together decide that what had happened between them was better left behind. It wasn't worth losing a partnership as their own and Oliver knew that if they had really gone through with it, things would have been ruined between them for good. There would have been no going back for him or for Felicity.

Somehow, knowing that he might have screwed up everything between them, Oliver found himself in the hotel bar, nursing a glass of expensive whiskey. Someone sat down in the seat beside him and he turned his head slightly, only to see Isabel looking at him with distaste and something akin to curiosity.

“You look like crap,” she stated before ordering herself a drink. Oliver didn't respond, only looked straight ahead. “In fact, you look more tired than I look at the moment and I know for a fact that I've been the only one who has been going to meeting after meeting for Queen Consolidated during our stay here. Don't tell me that Oliver Queen has finally tired of partying?”

Yet again, Oliver said nothing. He could feel Isabel's eyes drilling into him and he wished she would just go away. He needed to clear his mind and decide how he was going to handle what had happened the night before with Felicity.

“I think I was wrong,” Isabel said. Oliver felt her move closer to him, her chest brushing against his arm as she leaned closer to his ear. “You look like someone who wants to _forget_ something.” Her hand came to rest on his thigh and Oliver finally downed his drink before turning to look at her again. He met her eyes and he knew that what he was about to do would be another mistake to add to the list that was already way too long.

Still, what Isabel had said was true. His emotions had become too much for him and right now, all he wanted to do was forget about them.

-§-

Felicity paced inside her room. The mission had gone good for the most part, but Lawton's words regarding the tension between her and Oliver had gotten into her mind and rooted themselves there. The lamia vampire had teased her about how there was an easy fix for it, though, she had tried her best to remain impassive. She had needed air though, so when the opportunity had presented itself to escort Lawton outside, she had stepped out of the van with Diggle and the vampire. Lawton had talked to her then, murmuring things that she knew that those without hybrid hearing wouldn't pick up on. He had told her about the bounty on her head that he had ignored and he had told her that the Master was still looking for her, as far as he could tell.

Felicity had asked him what that meant and why Lawton himself hadn't come after her and he had again pressed that he didn't support those who wanted to break the balance in the world by exposing the People of Darkness. When she had asked him whether he knew the identity of the real Master, he had said that he didn't want to be involved in whatever business it was they had with the monster. He had never personally met him, but the stories and the henchmen that he had come across had been enough to make him stay away. Lawton knew what self-preservation was and even though he risked his life from time to time, he knew how to stay away from people who would eventually mean certain death.

Still, all the thing that had happened – with Lawton and Oliver and everything else – had gotten to Felicity and she knew that she needed to talk to Oliver. It couldn't wait until they went back to the States and she needed to let him know how it was that she _really_ felt about him. She had tried to keep it under control for so long, but after _that kiss_ she wasn't sure she could suppress it anymore. Combing through her hair with her fingers she gave herself a look in the mirror and then stepped out of her room, heading towards Oliver's down the hall. As she walked, she tried gathering her courage for what needed to be said, hoping to everything that she had that he would admit that he feels the same for her. She knew that there were feelings there, but she needed to hear him say it to her before they would be able to move forward; either together or apart. She wished for the former, though she knew that she needed to prepare herself for the latter as well.

Finally, she reached her destination and raised her hand to knock, her heart racing in her chest. This was something that she needed to do. She had to get it over with because she knew that it would be one less weight to carry. Felicity anxiously waited for the door to open, playing with her fingers for a while as she chewed on her lip.

The door opened and Felicity straightened, but only for a moment before the whiff of expensive female perfume hit her nose like a brick wall, making her pause. Her eyes focused on the brunette in front of her, who unashamedly zipped up her dress right in front of her with a smirk on her lips. Isabel looked back over her shoulder and Felicity's gaze moved there to Oliver who stood with his shirt still open and his pants unbuttoned, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Oh,” Isabel said, “I don't think he'll be needing your assistance tonight.” The smirk on her lips transformed into a grin that only made Felicity's stomach drop even further. She felt as if her heart had just been ripped out of her chest. The degrading way in which Isabel had spoken to her hit her hard, but she didn't want to show any weakness around the other woman. It was, however, difficult to hide her shock.

Isabel smugly stepped past her, calling back to Oliver over her shoulder as she thanked him for a good night and left the hallway, heading to her own room a floor up.

As soon as she was certain that Isabel was no longer there, Felicity lowered her head, swallowing thickly as she tried to comprehend just what it was that she had witnessed. It hurt more than she could have imagined.

“Felicity–” Oliver started, his voice sounding pained and regretful.

“ _Don't_ ,” Felicity interrupted. “I don't want to hear it.”

“I'm sorry, I–”

“Don't worry about it,” Felicity looked up, pressing her lips together in a smile that she knew wasn't fooling the man in front of her. “What happens in Russia, stays in Russia. I mean, what happened between us was just a mistake and–” She cut herself off with a small gasp as the constricting feeling in her chest doubled. The pain was becoming too much for her and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She needed to get out of there and away from Oliver, as soon as possible. There was a stinging feeling on her palms and a warmness that slowly spread over her hands. She glanced down, seeing blood trickle down to the floor, the coppery scent of her own essence filling her nostrils. Her claws had extracted, it seemed, in a subconscious attempt to calm herself and her heartache; to try and make herself feel something other than what she was feeling inside.

She didn't meet Oliver's eyes again as she turned around and started walking back to her room. The sound of him trying to follow her, calling her name as he buckled up his belt only made things worse for her as tears slipped down her cheeks and her blood dripped on the floor in the hallway. She made it to her room and quickly slammed the door shut before Oliver could reach her and she locked it before pushing her back against it before slowly lowering herself down to the floor. Looking at her bloodied hands, she could sense Oliver's presence on the other side but she _couldn't_ see him now; she couldn't face him and what he had done with Isabel, or exactly what that meant for her and him.

“ _I'm sorry...”_ she heard him whisper on the other side and she ignored the blood on her hands as she covered her face with them, smearing the red substance over herself.

Yeah.

She was sorry too.

-§-

Oliver stood outside the plane, checking his watch for the tenth time within five minutes. Anatoly had sent him a message that he was going to come and see him off before he traveled back to America and both Diggle and Felicity were already inside the private jet. Isabel had opted for flying with her own jet and Oliver was glad to get away from her after the way things had ended the night before. The hurt that he had seen in Felicity's eyes when she had realized that he had slept with Isabel had been enough to make him feel guilty about the entire ordeal. It didn't exactly help that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Felicity as he had been having sex with Isabel and the fact that he had a feeling that the brunette had been aware of it. When he had seen blood trickling down Felicity's clenched fists, he had wanted nothing more than to take back everything that he had done and now, all he wanted was for them to get back to Starling City so that maybe things could return to normal between them. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but he wished that they could just forget about everything and… Well, he wasn't really sure what he wanted anymore.

Being with Isabel the night before had felt _wrong_ in every way possible. Seeing Felicity when he had been about to walk the other woman out had been like a wake-up-call and he remembered how it had felt as if someone had just shot him straight into his heart when he had realized what he had just done. Maybe he had been foolishly hoping that no one would have found out about him and Isabel, all so that he could pretend that it hadn't actually happened.

He sighed at his own naivety, just as a limo pulled up in front of him. Oliver walked over to the car just as Anatoly stepped out. He embraced his old friend, thanking him for his help.

“ _Don't thank me_ ,” Anatoly said. “ _It's what brother's do for each other_.”

Oliver nodded curtly, “ _Thank you all the same_.”

Anatoly looked at him curiously for a moment, much like he had done that night in the club. “ _You know, Oliver. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd gone and caught yourself some feelings_ ,” Anatoly said. “ _Perhaps for the beautiful blonde that accompanied you in the club?_ ”

“No,” Oliver shook his head, speaking in English again.

“Don't try to fool me, brother,” Anatoly smiled, accent heavy. “ _I spent a lot of time with you_ _during your stay in Russia a few years back. So what is stopping you?_ ”

“ _It can't happen,_ ” Oliver said, not knowing whether he was trying to convince himself of Anatoly.

“ _Why not? Because she's a hybrid?_ ” Anatoly questioned. “ _That shouldn't stop you from loving her._ ”

Oliver looked at him, startled. “I don't love–”

“Oliver,” Anatoly interrupted him, giving him a look that said that he wasn't fooling anyone. “ _I saw the way you were with her in my club. Life is too short not to tell her how you feel. Especially with the kind of life you lead._ ” The older man paused for a moment, “ _You'll lose her if you don't tell her. She's not the kind of woman who will wait forever_.”

Oliver's eyes moved toward the plane that was waiting for him. “ _I might have already lost her,_ ” he admitted, feeling that pain in his chest again that he had felt the night before. He had never felt something as intense and a part of him wondered whether there could be more to the feeling. The pain that he had felt when he had seen Felicity… For a moment, it had almost felt as if it was _shared,_ between them. He knew that they had grown a lot closer since the blood exchange, but the bond that they had temporarily created when they had shared blood had been lost after Felicity's blood passed through his system. Or had it? Could there be a chance that the two of them were still deeply connected in another way?

The _relief_ that he had felt when he had kissed her, the _rightness_ of it all; it made him wonder. Anatoly had been able to see it after a short meeting, even though he hadn't seen Oliver in several years. His old friend had been able to see that Oliver cared deeply for Felicity and no matter how much Oliver kept trying to deny it, he knew deep down that it was true.

He did love her and he didn't want to lose her.

But for her own safety, it might be better if he did, not matter how much it hurt him.

-§-

Felicity laid on her couch, watching TV on mute, nibbling on some popcorn. They had returned from Russia just a couple of hours ago and she had been quick about saying her goodnight to Diggle and Oliver and heading back to her own apartment. Roy was out for the night, still patrolling the streets in Oliver's place but he had texted her and told her that he would be spending the night at Thea's. Felicity was grateful for the quiet time because she knew that she needed it. There were a lot of things that she needed to think about and sort through before seeing Oliver again. She hadn't spoken a single word to him the entire way back to the Starling City, despite him trying to get a few words in whenever Diggle went to the restroom. It hurt her to ignore him but she had to because she could still feel the stinging of her own nails from the night before. The wounds on her palms weren't healing properly and she figured that it was because of how emotionally wrecked she had been. Wolves didn't heal as well when they were hurt on the inside and it could be that that was an attribute that she had kept when she had been turned into a hybrid. Either way, she had looked at them enough times already to know that the wounds would be gone in a day or two. They were scabbing over, which was also something that she wasn't used to. Usually when she was injured, her body would heal itself within a few hours and it wouldn't leave any visible marks unless the injury had been made by white oak or highly concentrated vervain and wolfsbane. She had a couple of scars from her time in confinement that had never healed, leaving thin, silvery lines over her skin. They were faint, but she saw them every time she took a shower and that was enough. She just wished that there was a way for her to remember more of her time in capture because maybe then, she would have been able to figure out who the real master was.

Her doorbell rang and Felicity looked up, inhaling deeply through her nose. She could smell his cologne and his musky, natural scent, recognizing him immediately. She found herself frozen on the couch, not knowing whether she should open the door or not.

“ _Felicity, please open the door_ ,” Oliver said, sounding tired. “ _We need to talk._ ”

She stayed silent for only a moment, although, there was no way that she could say nothing when he was already getting on her nerves. “There's nothing to talk about, Oliver. Go away!” she called out, but he began knocking on the door, as if he was trying to force her to open it by annoying her until she gave in.

She held out for three minutes of non-stop knocking before she stood up from her couch. Pulling her cardigan tighter around her body, she walked over to the door and opened it, catching Oliver in mid-knock. She raised an eyebrow at him and he opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something before he paused and looked down her body, _twice_. She was wearing sleeping shorts and a tank top underneath her cardigan and since she hadn't been expecting any company tonight, she had opted for going bra-less, which she knew he probably realized when she shivered and pulled the cardigan tighter in front of her chest.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Uh, I… I want to talk,” Oliver swallowed, meeting her eyes again. “Please?”

“We said that what happened in Russia would stay there, so there's nothing to talk about,” Felicity said, starting to close the door. Oliver put his foot in the way and his hand against the wood, stopping her from stopping it.

“I think you were the one to say that,” he said. “On multiple occasions, actually.”

“You told me the first time that it was what you wanted,” Felicity frowned. “We should just leave it at that and move on.”

“I want to apologize,” Oliver said quickly. “Can you please let me do that inside? I feel like I need to explain myself.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him and even though she didn't want to let him defeat her like this, his blue eyes shone with real remorse, making it difficult for her to deny him. She stepped aside, sighing as she let him in. Moving back to the couch, she made sure to stand on the other side of it so that Oliver couldn't get to close. She watched him close the door and then beckoned him forward.

“Well? Go ahead,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I, uh, wanted to apologize for the way I acted after we, uh, kissed,” Oliver said, sounding a bit unsure suddenly. “I shouldn't have pushed you away like that, but I just needed to get away from you. I couldn't be near you because I knew that I would just lose control again.”

“Oliver,” Felicity shook her head. “ _I_ was the one who lost control. You pushing me away after we kissed was a good thing because I could have _hurt_ you.”

“I know you would never do that,” Oliver said, taking a step toward her.

“You don't,” Felicity shook her head. “If I lose control, there's no telling what I'll be capable of doing.”

“I watched you turn,” Oliver stated. “I touched you in your wolf form and you didn't attack me then. You're in better control of yourself than you think. I'm sorry that I hurt you by pushing you away _again_.”

“That wasn't what hurt me, Oliver,” Felicity said. “What hurt me was what happened with Isabel. You deserve so much better than her.”

“I don't have feelings for Isabel,” Oliver quickly said. “I don't care about her whatsoever.”

“I understand what meaningless sex is, but it doesn't change the fact that seeing you and her like that made me feel like–” She abruptly stopped speaking. Her voice was thick and her emotions were once again getting the better of her. She didn't want to be like this but just having to talk about how bad he had hurt her without admitting her feelings for him was difficult. “Why would you do that?” she asked, looking away from him when she felt her tears stinging. “With _her_ of all people?”

The heat from his palm sliding over her shoulder spread through her, all the way down to her toes. She closed her eyes when he pulled her into him and she was surprised by herself when she didn't resist it. When did he even get this close to her? His fingers slid into her messy bun and he gently pulled, making her lift her head from his chest and look up into his eyes. Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek. He inhaled deeply before his fingers moved to slide over her cheeks, brushing away her tears. She met his eyes again and she could see the way that his mind was going a mile a minute. A second might have passed before he lowered his head again, this time letting his lips press against hers.

That feeling that she had felt in Russia quickly rose inside her chest. Felicity hesitated before finally returning the kiss. It was slow and tentative, but Felicity could feel the message he was trying to send. She pressed her hands against his chest, pushing him away from her slightly so that she could break the kiss. Her eyes remained closed as her eyebrows furrowed.

“I've never felt what I felt when I kissed you,” Oliver said, his voice low. He was speaking as if he was telling her a secret and she wasn't sure how that was supposed to make her feel. “Being with _her_ like that was all about trying to forget, and I know that it's no excuse. Everything with Thea, the Master and Queen Consolidated. You have been the only good thing through all of it and I didn't want to add you to my list of problems.”

At his words, Felicity pulled away from him. She pushed his hands away and shook her head at him, wondering whether he had realized what he had just said to her.

“You won't have to worry about me being a problem, Oliver,” she said, her hurt and anger evident in her tone. “Whatever it was that drove me to kiss you that night and the connection or whatever it was we felt, it's _gone_. I won't ever act on it again.”

“Felicity, I didn't mean it like– It's all coming out wrong,” Oliver said, shaking his head.

“I don't care,” Felicity said firmly, eyes glowing. “We're still partners, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to be another problem on your list.” She turned her back against him, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. “You know where the door is. Goodnight, Oliver.”

His emotions were easy to pick up on but she didn't care whether he was hurt by her rejection. He had been the one to reject her first and with everything that had happened, Felicity didn't want to think about it anymore. They had things to do and dangerous monsters to stop. That was stressful enough as it was, without emotions making things more difficult. Thankfully, Oliver didn't say another word as he walked to the door. She could feel every step that he took in her chest, as if something was pulling on her heart the further away from her that he got.

It wasn't until the door closed that she allowed herself to take a breath and release a sob which shook her body as she sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They kissed! TWICE! But then I broke them... I'm so sorry.
> 
> Just a small comment on this chapter from me: The kisses were NOT originally planned! In fact, the only reason that things went this way was because I started to feel the slow burn killing even me. Now, I did plan on having Felicity see Isabel and Oliver together and the conversations that followed. I want to state that in this story, Isabel is JUST a business woman set out to get Queen Consolidated. Yes, she is a bitch, but she is NOT a supernatural being or in any way working together with the Master.
> 
> The next chapter will be more action-filled aaaaaand, we'll be seeing Felicity in wolf form again! Excited to start writing it! ;)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and hopefully, you liked it enough to leave a review! Much love! xx


	21. The Canary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things have been tense between Oliver and Felicity since Russia and the rest of the team is beginning to question what's going on. Meanwhile, a new huntress is killing Dark Ones in Starling City and Felicity has taken it upon herself to hunt her down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for updating so late are getting quite ridiculous now, but I am very sorry. I think that since we're nearing the end of this story (We have like ten more chapters to go!) I'm kind of reluctant to write because I don't want it to be over... Either way, I also wanted to apologize for the previous chapter and where we left things with Oliver and Felicity. I can't promise that this chapter will be any better emotion-wise, but I do hope that you'll like it despite that.
> 
> Also, before you continue, Hunted and Crumbled Papers have been nominated as All-Time Favorite DC Fanfic in the Fanatic Fanfics Multifandom Awards! Voting is open until May 2, so if you have time, visit: awards. fanaticfanfics. com and vote because there are some AMAZING fics there! Thank you so much for your support and kindness! I love you all and please enjoy this angsty chapter! xx

**Hunted**

 

**Chapter** **21: The Canary**

 

It was dark and cold. Her claws made her grip on the edge of the building more secure and she breathed in through her nose a couple of times to calm herself before hauling herself up. The dark hoodie that she was wearing was already clinging to her skin, the rain forcing the material to tighten against her body. She threw her arm out, blocking the punch of one of the other wolves before she crouched down, baring her fangs at them. There were three of them, all bigger than her, but she knew that she could take them. The anger that had been coursing through her veins for the past two weeks made it easier. It fueled her and she knew that it was dangerous, but she needed this outlet.

“ _ You shouldn’t be doing this, you know _ ,” Tommy stated over the comm-link, just before she began fighting against her opponents.

The biggest guy, the one who wanted to show off his strength,  _ howled  _ as she dug her claws into his shoulders, pushing herself off the ground before pulling her legs up to kick the monster away from herself. The other two wolves stood back for a moment as they watched their alpha struggle. They were waiting for it to end. She just needed to take him down and the other two would surrender.

“ _ This needs to stop _ ,” Diggle filled in, but she couldn’t listen to either of them.

She dug her claws into the back of the alpha’s neck, forcing him down into a kneeling position.

“Stop!” She looked up at the wolf who had shouted, her eyes glowing golden. “Please, he’s my brother! We’ll leave Starling City and never return. I swear!”

She narrowed her eyes at the younger wolf, tilting her head sideways as she took him in. He was newly turned into a wolf, but his brother - his  _ alpha _ \- seemed to have been turned into a hybrid recently.

“Tell me who turned him,” she growled. “Tell me and I’ll let you go!” The rain fell against her cheeks and seeped through her clothes but she would not give in to the urge to just go back. She couldn’t go back. Not now; not anymore.

“The Master did it!” the young one yelled.

“Who is the Master?” she demanded.

“We don’t know,” the other wolf replied. “I swear, we don’t. We never saw his face. They took us in the middle of the night and injected my brother with some kind of vial. Then they threw us out during a full moon. They wanted him to kill someone but we stopped him, I swear!”

She looked down at the wolf she had dug her claws into, searching his eyes to confirm what the other wolf had said. Finally, she retracted her sharp nails from him and pushed him down and away.

“Leave Starling City,” she said. “Never come back here. I’ve got your scent, so if I ever catch a wiff of you doing something you shouldn’t, I’ll come after you and finish the job.”

She turned her back to them and ran toward the edge of the building, jumping across to the other one. She heard the static of  the intercom again and she mentally reminded herself that she needed to check the frequence before she goes out next time.

“ _ Felicity, please _ .  _ Come home, _ ” Oliver whispered, voice sounding broken.

Felicity dug her nails into her palms, pulling the device out of her ear and crushing it under her boot. It was getting old anyway and she was going to build something new and  _ better _ . She ran again, leaping to the other edge and jumping. This time when she landed, her eyes were golden once again and it was her paws that hit the pavement.

-§-

“This is getting dangerous, Felicity,” Diggle said, his arms crossing as she pulled on a new shirt and wiped her hair down with a towel.

“This is getting  _ results _ , Dig,” Felicity countered. “We’re getting information about the Master.”

“By risking your life,” Diggle shook his head.

“It’s worth it,” Felicity said.

“Not if it gets you killed,” the older man stated. He sighed and shook his head again, looking down as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “The information isn’t worth it.”

“It’s more than we’ve gotten for  _ months _ , Dig,” Felicity said.

Diggle looked at her and frowned, “Yes, but you’re still out there risking your life.”

“It’s not any different from what you and Oliver do,” Felicity stated calmly.

“It is because the Master has it out for you,  _ personally _ . You going out there, taking on his hybrids on your own puts you in more danger than necessary,” Diggle said angrily before he took a deep breath to calm himself. “What happened, Felicity?”

“Nothing happened,” she replied as she moved over to her computers to check on her searches.

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” he said from behind her. “Something changed after Russia. You’ve been distant and Oliver has been walking around with the look of a sulking puppy. Now, are you going to tell me or do I have to ask him about it?”

Felicity swirled around in her chair, looking at up at him. She clenched her jaw and shook her head, “Ask him. I’m done here for tonight.” With those final words, she stood from her chair and pulled on her jacket and purse, walking out of the Foundry. Diggle looked after her, knowing that something was definitely off. He had basically had to force Oliver out of the lair with Tommy before Felicity returned from her hunt because he had wanted to talk to her alone. A week had passed since Russia and Diggle had felt the change between the two partners who had been growing closer over the past year. It was ridiculous to him, how two people who had learned to lean on one another could suddenly break apart like this and even though he wasn’t one for gossiping, he needed to know what it was that had gone down because Felicity was beginning to get reckless.

Diggle had talked to Roy about it, but the young man had only shook his head and shared that he could feel some kind of anger emitting from Felicity every time she went out hunting. The two of them shared a special connection with her being Roy’s alpha, but according to the kid, she was hiding something from them all. Oliver wasn’t any better and he wasn’t even trying to hide that something was off. They tried to act normal around one another, but Diggle could see hurt flash across Oliver’s face whenever Felicity brushed him off. Something  _ had  _ happened and Diggle knew it had to have been bad for them to end up like this. Diggle wanted to confront them about it, but they didn’t seem to be able to stay in the same room for more than an hour. How the two of them worked together at Queen Consolidated, he had no idea, though he assumed that Felicity was keeping her distance there as well. Diggle knew that whatever it was needed to be settled soon because Felicity had risked her life one too many times by now. The only problem was that Diggle didn’t know how to force the two of them to talk about their issues, without causing a civil war in the team.

He shook his head at himself when he realized that there was already a cold one raging within their group and that he was tired of waiting for the first bombs to go off.

-§-

Oliver sat next to Thea, his feet bouncing in one place as he awaited his mother’s arrival. Laurel had pulled some strings and finally managed to get a judge to give his mother some visitation hours. This was the first time in months that Oliver and thea were going to see their mother and he was both looking forward to it and dreading it. His mother knew his secret about being the Arrow, but now, so did Thea. While his mother had been accepting of it, Thea was still angry with him for keeping it from her for so long. They hadn’t spoken a single word to one another as they had driven over to the prison that their mother was being held at while awaiting trial and Oliver couldn’t help but think about how the treatment was exactly what he deserved. Thea had a right to be angry with him and he had told her that he would give her time to adjust. With everything that had been going on with him lately, and all the things that he had screwed up for himself, he actually  _ wanted  _ her to keep some distance from him so that he wouldn’t somehow mess things up with her even more.

Oliver swallowed thickly as his mind drifted to Felicity. She had been going out on hunts all week long, ever since Russia, and he understood why she was doing it. He had hurt her in a way that was unforgivable and he hated himself for it, probably more than she did. What he had done had been stupid and messed up. How could he have thought that his misery would somehow get eased by sleeping with the company’s She-Devil? How could he have done such a thing to Felicity, all because he had been afraid of the emotion he had felt toward her? The thing that was even worse, the thing he was beating himself up about the most, though, was what he had done  _ afterward _ . He couldn’t believe that a part of him had thought that going to Felicity and somehow trying to explain to her why he had done what he had done would fix things. He had wanted to tell her then and there that he loved her and that he had been stupid for doing what he had done, but he had refrained from doing so because he knew that he had already broken what they had had. Wasn’t that what he had wanted all along? To do something which put some distance between them? No, he had realized when he had gone to her when they had returned to Starling City, but by then it had been too late. The damage had been done and now he needed to earn back her trust and his place in her life. He needed to prove to her that he knew his mistakes and that he would never make them again; that he would be committed to her and only her, whether she wanted him or not.

That was one of the reasons that he hadn’t been protesting her hunting-spree  _ too much _ since they had returned. It wasn’t until the last couple of days that his worries had begun showing more and there was a reason for it too. There had been an increase in killings of Dark Ones. It seemed as if the Nightcrawlers were being targeted, no matter if they were evil throughout or good deep down. Oliver had tried talking to her about staying back in the Foundry for a while, but Felicity continuously argued that she had been stranded behind the screen for far too long. He knew that Diggle and the others were worried too, but there was no getting through to her. While she was out on the streets hunting for clues about the Master, Oliver had taken it upon himself to find out who it was that was killing the Dark Ones. Whoever it was was now an added problem to Oliver’s growing list and sometimes he felt like he honestly couldn’t catch a break.

Then again, he knew very well that it was exactly what he deserved.

-§-

It was already dark when Felicity headed out for the night. This time around, Roy had insisted to come along, telling her that he wasn’t comfortable with leaving her alone anymore. She had a suspicion that it was either Diggle or Oliver who had put him up to it, but she didn’t protest him coming with her, simply because she didn’t have the time. There were trails to be followed before they turned cold and she didn’t want to waste the few hours of darkness that they had at their disposal.

They had been out for about an hour or so when something changed in the air. It didn’t feel like more than a shift in the wind at first, but then Felicity inhaled through her nose deeply, taking in a scent that she had never smelled before in the city. It was flowery, almost, but unlike any kind of flora which existed in the city or even in the surrounding areas. For a moment it was a nice scent, like a perfume, but soon her nose began to sting and Felicity coughed, covering her mouth. She turned to Roy who looked paler all of the sudden. His breaths came out in heavy pants and he seemed to be in pain.

“Roy, cover your mouth,” Felicity ordered as she took a step toward him. “It seems to be some kind of wolfsbane.”

Roy let out a cough, “I’ve never felt anything like this before. What’s going on?”

Felicity opened her mouth to reply, but her ears picked up on quick steps coming toward them. She twisted around, just in time to see a woman dressed in black leather jump across the space between the building they were on and the one next to it. The woman ran at Felicity and collided with her, sending a strong kick right into Felicity’s side.

Felicity gasped as her knees buckled and she winced when her knees hit the hard ground. She heard Roy growl behind her and even though she knew he was hurt by whatever toxin the woman must have released to weaken them both, Felicity knew that her Beta wouldn’t give up without a fight after seeing his Alpha attacked. For a moment, Felicity could only watch as Roy jumped the woman, his eyes glowing despite the lack of a full moon which would have allowed him to turn fully. He fought against the mysterious woman, which was clearly a trained hunter from what Felicity could see. She had only seen Oliver fight in a similar way and he had had years to perfect his technique against the Dark Ones.

“ _ Felicity, what is happening? _ ” she heard Diggle say into the comm-link.

“There’s a woman,” she replied. “A huntress. She came out of nowhere.”

“ _ What? Should we call Oliver? _ ” Diggle asked.

“No,” Felicity growled in response. “We’ll take care of it. He wouldn’t make it here in time anyway.”

It was the truth and they all knew it. Oliver had gone with Thea to visit his mother and they all knew that he wouldn’t be returning until later tonight. There was no way that he would have been able to make it back in time to help them fight the huntress, although secretly, Felicity was a bit happy about it. This was her chance to prove to herself and him that she was good at what she did and that she didn’t need him to take care of her.

Felicity turned her attention back to Roy who was still fighting the huntress. He wasn’t strong enough yet, despite the training he had gotten. The young wolf was thrown to the ground and he struggled to keep the woman off of himself when she lunged at him with a dagger.

The change happened so quickly and so naturally, that Felicity herself almost didn’t register it. One second she was seeing Roy in danger and the next, she had jumped in the air, her clothes being ripped off of her body as she transformed into a wolf, landing on her paws. She growled, earning the woman’s attention and Roy used the momentum to push her away from herself. Felicity howled when she scented Roy’s blood dripping from the back of his head where it must have connected with the hard concrete.

_ ‘Roy, get away from her,’ _ Felicity growled through their pack-bond. It was something that could only be used when they were in wolf form, but recently they had discovered that if their emotions were heightened enough, their thoughts would reach one another without them both having to be wolves.

Roy scrambled back just as Felicity pounced on the other woman, her claws digging into the huntress’ leather jacket. The woman let out a surprised sound, although it didn’t take very long for her to recover and fight back. Felicity got a few good hits in with her claws, enough to draw blood without actually killing the other woman. The huntress kicked at her hard though, her boots hitting Felicity in the stomach. A small whimper escaped the white wolf as she fell to the ground and a moment later, she howled in pain when the huntress stuck the wooden dagger deep into her shoulder.

“No!” Roy screamed, jumping the woman from behind. Felicity was left on the ground with the dagger still embedded in her shoulder as Roy fought the woman again and a moment later, the woman pushed Roy away from herself again and ran off in the same direction that she had come. Felicity whimpered, covering her snout with her paws as she tried to calm herself, but the pain was agonizing. It felt as if someone had just poured acid on her skin and it kept  _ burning. _

“I’m going to get you back to the Foundry,” Roy said, but his voice broke. Felicity looked up at him with her golden eyes, nuzzling his cheek. Roy wiped at the tears that had sprung from his eyes when Felicity turned her head back to nudge against the dagger. He needed to pull it out of her because she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to stand the pain. Roy seemed to understand enough and he moved to the weapon that had been left behind the huntress and pulled it out of Felicity. She let out a pained sound again, eyes closing as the burning sensation finally stopped. It would heal, but she needed to get back to the lair. She was too tired to move, but she heard Roy call Diggle just a few moments before the world began to spin and everything turned black.

-§-

Oliver got the news when he was on his way back from the prison his mother was being held at. Tommy had called him and as soon as he had uttered the words ‘Don’t panic,’ Oliver had felt his heart jump. His friend had proceeded to tell him about what had happened when Felicity and Roy had been out on the hunt together; how they had been attacked by a woman in black and how Felicity had turned into a wolf in order to save Roy and in turn gotten injured by a dagger that had apparently had a blade made out of white oak.

After that, everything had been a blur, but somehow, he and Thea got to the Foundry. When they did, Oliver was shocked to find Felicity still in her wolf form on the medbay, laying on her stomach with her paws over her muzzle. Thea stared at the white wolf with wide eyes, looking at Roy who was gently running his hand through Felicity’s fur. She took a few hesitant steps forward and when she saw that the wolf wasn’t moving from it’s spot, she walked up to Roy and embraced him tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, looking down at Felicity again. She swallowed but didn’t say another word, probably not knowing whether Felicity would understand her.

“Felicity,” Oliver breathed out, starting toward her. He was startled when the wolf lifted her head, baring her teeth at him with a feral growl. It had been an instinct which made Oliver’s stomach drop. He still remembered that first time he had seen her in wolf form and how she had accepted his touch. He had broken her trust; he had broken them.

Diggle and the others looked equally surprised by Felicity’s reaction to him. Oliver took a step back and looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He looked at Roy next. “What happened?” he bit out, harsher than he intended. His anger at himself was getting the better of him and he was hating himself for it even more. Especially when he heard Felicity’s low growl that was once again directed at him. It seemed like she too was having a difficult time to hide her disdain toward him when she was a wolf. He cleared his head, “Sorry. What happened?” His question was asked without any anger this time around and the wolf lowered her head again, as if she was satisfied with his apology to Roy.

“There was a woman in black,” Roy explained. “She was a huntress, that was for sure. She attacked us out of nowhere and Felicity shifted in order to save me.”

“A huntress?” Oliver frowned. He looked at Felicity but she seemed adamant not to look his way. “Why is Felicity still a wolf?”

“Yes, a huntress,” Roy said. “Felicity thinks she’s the one who has been killing Dark Ones.” The wolf on the table made a sound and nudged Roy’s thigh with her nose. “Oh, and Felicity says that the reason she’s in wolf form is because she’ll heal herself faster this way.”

“Wait, what?” Diggle frowned. “What do you mean ‘Felicity says’?”

Roy gave him an equally confused look before turning to Felicity again. Oliver noticed how Felicity’s ears seemed to perk up a bit before lowering again. “Oh,” Roy drawled. “Now I get it. You guys don’t know about our pack-bond, do you?”

“Pack-bond?” Thea frowned. “I’m still too much in shock at seeing Felicity as an actual wolf to comprehend what you’re saying.”

“When we turn into wolves, we communicate through our minds,” Roy explained. “It’s kind of weird to be in human shape and hear her thinking. It’s unusual, but it seems like her emotions are heightened enough for me to pick up on at the moment. That’s why I can communicate with her right now.”

Diggle tilted his head to the side, “So, what you’re saying is that you are currently reading Felicity’s mind?”

“Yeah,” Roy nodded.

For a moment, Diggle just stared at him with wide eyes. Actually, it was something which kind of surprised all of them considering that neither Felicity nor Roy had ever mentioned anything about it. Did that mean that Roy knew about Russia? Had Felicity shared that with him or had she somehow blocked it out all together?

“Okay, I think this supernatural fest just became too much for me,” Diggle said, running his hands over his face. “Mind-reading. What’s next? Shooting laser through your eyes?”

“Considering that we’re in the same room as two werewolves, how come you’re actually surprised by this?” Thea wondered.

“I thought there might be a limit to how far things could actually go,” Diggle said, shaking his head. “How foolish of me.”

“So, you read Felicity’s mind from time to time,” Tommy stated. “I can get down with that. Is there anything interesting circulating around in there or are there just zeroes and ones?”

Roy chuckled and Felicity made a sound close to a huff, despite her wolf shape. “It doesn’t really work like that,” Roy said. “Basically, it started off with us being able to pick up on the other’s emotions. Then, when I fully turned into a wolf, she talked to me through my mind and helped me through the turn. She can cut the mental link off whenever she wants to and block me out of her head, but the emotions are always there if I’m close enough and she’s a wolf.”

“A wolf-filter?” Tommy wondered. “She lacks brain to mouth filter, but she has a working wolf-mind-reading-filter. That sounds incredibly convenient.”

Felicity growled his way, but nothing about it seemed threatening. Not like she had growled at Oliver earlier when he had tried to approach her.

“Funny thing you should mention that because she’s been blocking me out of her head a lot lately,” Roy said and Oliver was pretty sure that Felicity nudging away his hand from her was her way of saying that he was betraying her trust. “Okay, she’s telling me that we shouldn’t talk about this, but focus on the huntress instead,” Roy added. “Apparently it’s pack business only. Sorry.”

“I thought all of you were a team?” Thea frowned, looking at Oliver who only looked at the white wolf on the table. Her eyes glimmered and for a moment, the golden color went back to Felicity’s baby blues. It was as if Thea’s words had softened her slightly, but then, as soon as her eyes flickered to him, they burned golden again.

A sharp intake of breath from Roy made Oliver pause and turn to the younger man. His hand was gone from Felicity’s fur as he stared at his Alpha, then slowly turned to Oliver. His eyes glowed yellow for a moment before he bared his teeth at Oliver. There was a rage there that Oliver couldn’t remember ever seeing. Felicity let out a growl when Roy started at Oliver, biting into the younger man’s shirt and pulling him back.

“You son of a bitch!” Roy snarled at Oliver, his eyes still glowing.

“Roy!” Thea called out, horrified at how her boyfriend struggled against Felicity’s grip, finally getting loose. Oliver only stood still as Roy reached him and punched him straight in the face. He stumbled back, Diggle and Tommy stepping forward as they struggled to keep Roy under control.

“How could you  _ do that?  _ And to  _ her,  _ of all people?” Roy screamed at him.

Oliver rubbed his jaw, remorse and shame instantly taking over. He knew what Roy must have heard Felicity think.

“What the fuck is going on?” Tommy asked, looking as confused as the others. “Roy, stop trying to attack Oliver!”

“The motherfucker deserves it!” Roy hissed. “I’m going to-”

“ _ Roy! _ ”

Oliver looked up, his eyes widening for the fraction of a second before he turned away from Felicity who had turned back into human form. She was naked, but reaching for a blanket to cover herself and Oliver felt his face heat up and his heartbeat pick up. He couldn’t change what he had done and he wished that he could stop feeling the way he did for her, because she deserved better than him.

“Stop,” Felicity said, walking up to the younger man, wrapped in only the blanket. She stood in front of Roy, placing one of her hands on his cheek. The young man breathed in and out through his nose, still glaring at Oliver. “I didn’t want you to know because I knew that you would react this way. This isn’t us.”

“Felicity, what he’s done…” Roy shook his head as he trailed off, closing his eyes. He leaned into Felicity’s touch and Oliver realized that this was something about them being a part of the same pack. Felicity was Roy’s Alpha, which meant that she could calm him down on an emotional level with just the simple touch of her hand. He didn’t know fully how it worked, but it made sense when he remembered just how close-knit a pack could get in the animal world.

“What exactly  _ has  _ he done?” Thea questioned. She watched Felicity and Roy’s interaction with curiosity, but she too seemed to understand.

Oliver didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t sure Felicity was going to say anything, but he knew deep down that he needed to express just how sorry he was. Still, what had happened what between him and Felicity and if she didn’t want to say anything, then he wouldn’t either. He had disrespected her enough as it was and he didn’t want to make things even worse.

“What happened between Oliver and me is between the two of us,” Felicity said calmly. “If he chooses to speak to you about it, it’s his decision, but as far as I’m concerned, I just want to forget.”

“Yeah, but you trying to forget led to you being stabbed tonight,” Diggle pointed out, crossing his arms. Oliver’s eyes flickered to Felicity’s right shoulder, seeing a wound there. It hadn’t healed yet and despite everything that was going on, he reached out, catching the drop of blood that trickled down her shoulder blade.

A shiver ran through Felicity’s body and she let go of Roy, turning around to look at him. For a split second, her eyes remained gentle as she took him in. Every cell in his body was screaming for him to just step forward and take her in his arms, nuzzle his nose into the side of her neck and just breathe her in. He needed her unlike anything else. Never before had he experienced such a feeling and the knowledge that he was the one who had broken them once again made him feel sick to his stomach.

“You’re still bleeding,” he stated dumbly.

“The wound isn’t healing,” Roy said, looking concerned once again. 

Felicity turned her head so that she could look at it. “The bitch stabbed me with white oak,” she realized. “It was deep too, so it’s probably going to leave a mark…  _ Great. _ ”

“How’s that possible? Aren’t you guys supposed to heal super fast and all that?” Thea wondered.

“White oak is dangerous to both werewolves and vampires. That’s basically the only type of wood that can fatally injure us,” Felicity replied. “Okay, I’m going to need to get myself some clothes and then, Roy, if you’d be so kind to stitch me up, that would be great.”

Roy nodded before pressing a light kiss to Thea’s forehead. He then turned toward Oliver and shot him another murderous glare. Oliver did his best not to flinch away from it.

“Wait, what about that woman in black?” Tommy asked. “Weren’t we going to figure out who she is?”

“I think she’s the huntress they call the Canary on the streets,” Roy said slowly. “It’s a name that’s been circulating in the Glades these last couple of weeks, but I didn’t think it was a real thing until tonight. Figured it was just some ghost story.”

“Canary?” Diggle asked. “The vigilante names in this city just keep getting better.”

“How are we going to find someone who keeps disappearing?” Thea wondered.

“ _ We? _ ” Oliver interjected. “I’m sorry, Thea, but I won’t have you involved in all of this.”

“Oliver, look around,” Thea rolled her eyes. “I’m already involved. My boyfriend is a part of your team and you’re my brother. Your friends are in on it too and mom knows. I want to do my part, even if that part is just being here when I’m needed as support. Besides, I’m old enough to decide for myself.”

Oliver didn’t like it; he didn’t like it at all. On one hand he knew that she was right, but on the other, he still wanted to stubbornly keep her away from it all. Then again, considering that all he had been doing so far in regards to her and everyone else had ended up being the bad move, he wondered silently to himself whether he should just let her do what she wanted. Maybe it was time for him to let the others take the lead because  _ clearly _ , he was no longer in his right mind after what had happened in Russia. That had been one mistake of many but he wanted to change and be different. He didn’t want to revert to the old him anymore and he wanted to prove to Felicity and to everyone else that he could be loyal.

“Thea is right,” Tommy said. “Besides, she’ll have all of us there to protect her if it’s needed.”

His sister looked at him and he found himself offering her a curt nod and nothing more. She smiled at him for the first time in what felt like ages.

“Now that that’s settled,” Thea said, “how are we going to find the Canary?”

“Oh, that’s a bit easier now that I’ve gotten a whiff of her scent,” Felicity spoke up. They all looked at her and she shrugged. “My wolf side has been becoming more prominent lately. I caught her scent when she was fighting me and to be honest, there was something vaguely familiar with it. It caught me off guard for a while, but I bet that if i focus and smell it again, I should be able to recognize it and maybe even track her.” She only watched them for a moment, taking in their expressions. Her eyes met Oliver’s but no one spoke as she turned back to Roy. “How about those stitches?”

-§-

Oliver waited anxiously as Roy finished patching up Felicity’s wound. Diggle oversaw the whole thing and made sure that the young man was doing his job properly. Thea and Tommy seemed to just patiently wait for someone to say something, all while staring at him, looking for answers on what had happened between him and Felicity.

It wasn’t until Felicity and Roy left the Foundry to go home to their apartment that Oliver slumped down into a chair and buried his face in his hands.

“Are you going to tell us what happened or are you going to pull the ‘it’s-our-business’-card too?” Thea wondered, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at him.

“How are we supposed to help you guys work through your issues if you don’t tell us what’s wrong, man?” Tommy asked, looking concerned. “I’ve never seen you and Felicity this way before. You’ve had your fair share of arguments but nothing’s ever been this bad.”

“I’ve been with you the longest and I have to agree with that statement,” Diggle said. “Tell us what’s going on.”

Oliver wasn’t sure if it was their probing questions or if he just wanted to get it all off his chest that finally made him crack. “When we were in Russia, I fucked up,” he said slowly.

“We’ve gathered as much,” Diggle said. “What did you do?”

“I kissed her,” Oliver blurted, running his hand through his hair. “I was a jealous bastard when I saw her with some of Anatoly’s men and I took her back to my room and kissed her.”

“Wait, shouldn’t that be a good thing?” Thea frowned. “Oh no, don’t tell me you bolted?”

“Worse,” Oliver said bitterly. “I threw her out of the room, drank myself stupid the next night and slept with Isabel.”

“ _ What? _ ” Diggle’s voice was hard as he looked at Oliver with narrowed eyes.

“Felicity came to see me and she saw me and Isabel,” Oliver covered his eyes with the palm of his hand. “I wasn’t even fully dressed yet.”

“How could you-? What the fuck were you even  _ thinking? _ ” Tommy asked, voice raised. “You two were basically- And then you just-  _ Fuck! _ ” Tommy slammed his hand down on the table, hard, making the objects on it rattle. Oliver had expected anger from his friends, but Tommy’s reaction to what he had done just proved how badly he had messed up.

“I know,” Oliver said, still not able to look any of them in the eyes. “I went to her again though, when we got back to Starling. I kissed her again and I tried to explain that I-”

“You kissed her  _ again? _ ” Diggle growled. “After she found you with your pants down in the company of Isabel Rochev?” Oliver looked at his friend. Diggle pointed at his face, “Roy was right to punch you in the face. I would too if I didn’t know you well enough to know that you would let me beat you to a bloody pulp after what you’ve done to Felicity.” Diggle inhaled deeply, pressing his fingers to his temples as an attempt to calm himself. “What did you say to her when you went to her again?”

“I told her that I didn’t want her to become another problem on my list,” Oliver confessed. “I didn’t mean it like  _ that _ but she never let me finish what I was going to say. She must have assumed that I didn’t want to be with her.”

“Do you want to be with her?” Thea questioned.

“ _ Yes _ ,” Oliver hissed. “Of course I want to be with her but now it’s too late. She wasn’t supposed to be some quick tumble in the sheets and we weren’t supposed to end up like this. I broke what we had and now she’ll never want to even look me in the eyes again without wanting to rip my throat out.”

“I can’t say that I blame her,” Thea told him. “You messed up and you messed up  _ bad,  _ Ollie. Why would you even think about sleeping with Isabel?”

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know why I did what I did,” Oliver said. “I didn’t want to admit to myself that I had feelings for Felicity and I don’t know why I did it, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her at all and I hated myself for it the moment it was over! Nothing you guys say is going to make me feel like more of a piece of shit that I already do!”

He breathed heavily, staring at the three of them, awaiting more of their judgment. They didn’t say anything at first until Diggle took a step toward him.

“She might never forgive you,” he said. “No one could blame her for that. But the way that you two have been acting out on the streets is dangerous. Even though I’m pissed off at you, I don’t want to see you or her dead. She had a close call tonight and I don’t want there to be any more. You broke it so you need to fix it,” Diggle told him sternly.

“Dig, I don’t know how,” Oliver sighed, rubbing away the wetness that had gathered in the corners of his eyes.

“Earn her trust back,” Diggle said. “Show her that it’s team first and that you’ll always have her back, no matter what. Don’t mess up again and prove to her that you’re worth a second chance.”

“I don’t know how to do that,” Oliver said.

Diggle only shook his head at him as he grabbed his jacket, starting to head out of the Foundry, “You better figure it out, Oliver.”

-§-

Three days later, Oliver was walking back into Queen Consolidated. Thea walked with him and he was grateful for his sister being there, despite the fact that she too was angry with him for what he had done to Felicity. He had been thinking about what Diggle had said down in the Foundry three days ago and he knew that he needed to do something to at least try and repair some of the damage that he had caused.

When he walked toward his office though, he saw Laurel sitting in the chair in front of Felicity through the glass wall. The two of them were walking about something and Laurel offered Felicity her hand. Oliver watched as a bright smile crossed Felicity’s smile and she said something else which made Laurel laugh. It occurred to him then that Laurel was showing Felicity her engagement ring. The glimmering piece of jewelry stood out on Laurel’s left hand and Felicity’s eyes seemed to shine when they set on the sparkling item. For a mere second, a silly thought crossed his mind and he wondered if Felicity would have lit up like that if it had been her own ring she was looking at. He shook his head, focusing his eyes on the blonde as he walked with Thea toward the two women.

Like always, Felicity was beautiful. She wore a navy skirt and a white blouse which was tucked into the skirt and some classy high-heels. Her hair was down, waves spilling over her shoulders and she was wearing the fake glasses which somehow managed to make her even more beautiful. Oliver swallowed thickly, not knowing how the conversation between the two of them was going to go. 

As Oliver and Thea approached them, Felicity lifted her head to look at them. She must have heard them with her enhanced senses and when her eyes settled on him, she took a deep breath through her nose, almost as if she was trying to brace herself. He watched her curiously as her soft expression changed. She looked back at Laurel, frown on her face as she let go of her hand. Oliver saw her take another deep breath through her nose just as he entered the room.

“Hey,” Thea said, breaking the silence. “Laurel, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just came here to discuss your mother’s case with Oliver,” Laurel explained, standing up from the chair.

“Has there been any development?” Oliver asked.

“Well, the judge moved up the court date, which means that they’re probably all ready to move forward with everything,” Laurel said. “Based on what we have so far, we’ve made a really good case on Moira acting under duress.”

“When do you think that the final court date will-?”

“Felicity, are you okay?” Thea asked, interrupting Oliver’s question. He turned his attention to Felicity, who was looking a bit pale all of the sudden.

“Felicity?” he frowned, taking a step past Laurel in the blonde’s direction.

“I’m fine, I just think I need a moment to breathe,” she said, offering Thea a weak smile as she stood from her desk. She clutched the side of the table, swaying slightly as she moved to step around it.

“Whoa,” Oliver said, catching her as she began losing balance. His concern for her outweighed the fear of something being wrong with her as he looked down at her. “Maybe you should lay down a bit?”

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Felicity countered. “I just need some air.”

“I’ll come with you,” Thea offered. “Oliver, you can stay and discuss things with Laurel. We’ll be back in a few.”

His sister walked up to him and Felicity and wrapped her arm around Felicity’s waist, offering her some support as she led her out of the room. Oliver followed them with his concerned gaze.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Laurel wondered. “I can come back later, if you want to be with her?”

“No, Thea has it handled,” he shook his head. He knew that Felicity wouldn’t want him with her now anyway and no matter how much he wished he could just go to her, he knew that that would only cause more problems than fixing any. That was why he forced himself to step into his part of the office and sit down in his chair while Laurel gave him the information she had about his mother’s case.

-§-

“Felicity what happened in there?” Thea asked as Felicity stood in front of the mirror in the women’s restroom.

“It’s Laurel,” Felicity said. “When I breathed in, my wolf senses picked up on her scent that was hidden underneath the perfume she uses.”

“What?” Thea frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Laurel’s scent was similar to the one that I caught off of the Canary,” Felicity explained.

“ _ What? _ Does that mean that Laurel is the huntress in black?” Thea’s eyes widened.

Felicity shook her head, “No, I don’t think so. Laurel’s scent wasn’t as strong as the Canary’s. I think they might share the same DNA though.”

“How would you even know that?” Thea wondered.

“My powers as a wolf,” Felicity replied. “I told you guys that my wolf side is coming back stronger for some reason. I don’t know why, but I’m finally able to pick up on those kinds of shifts that were blocked due to the piece of vampire DNA in my blood. Wolves are more sensitive to smells while vampires use their other senses,” Felicity said. “It’s been like I’ve had a cold this past year because I’ve been drinking some blood and strengthening my vampire side more and more. Now that I’ve stopped drinking blood, my wolf side is returning, especially with me forming my own pack with Roy.”

“Okay, that all makes sense, but what doesn’t make sense is Laurel sharing similar DNA with the Canary,” Thea said. “Does that mean that it can be, like, Laurel’s cousin or something?”

“Or a parent, a sibling,” Felicity nodded.

“Laurel’s mom is in Central City and her father doesn’t exactly scream bustier-lover,” Thea remarked. Felicity looked at her curiously, raising an eyebrow at her. “Roy gave me a description of the Canary when I asked him to tell me what she looked like,” Thea said.

“I think we should keep this between the two of us for now,” Felicity said after a moment. “Tonight I’ll see if I can get out on the streets again and pick up on the scent.”

“You’re going to have to tell Oliver sooner or later, Felicity,” Thea countered. “He isn’t going to just go along with you leaving again. Not after what happened last time. He knows that he screwed up.”

Felicity frowned at Thea. How much did she know about what had happened? Had Oliver told her? Felicity had been noticing how Diggle and Tommy were giving Oliver the cold shoulder in the Foundry these past couple of days, but she hadn’t been sure until now that he had actually told them what had happened.

“You know,” Felicity stated, not bothering to explain just what it was that Thea knew.

“Yeah,” Thea nodded. “I’m not going to defend his actions because you have every right to be pissed and never want to speak to him ever again. I just think you should know that he hasn’t been himself since you guys fell out.”

“It’s not that I’m just angry with him, Thea,” Felicity shook her head. “I’m  _ hurt _ . The worst thing is that before all of this, he was my best friend and if this would have happened with anyone else, I would have gone to him to talk about it all.”

“Roy mentioned that too,” Thea said softly. She looked hesitant for a moment before speaking again, “Don’t you think you should tell him though?”

“I don’t owe him any explanations and he doesn’t owe me either,” Felicity said. “We weren’t together and there’s no reason that I should be feeling this strongly about all of this as I am. I can’t change what happened.”

“If what Roy told me is true, then I think you  _ should  _ talk to Oliver,” Thea countered. “If he knew, he would understand and he would give you whatever space you need.”

“He’s been giving me space since after Russia, Thea. I don’t think space is the issue here,” Felicity shook her head. “I wish there was a way for me to just shut off my emotions and ignore what happened. It would make things a hell of alot easier for me.”

“Do what you want, but I still believe that you two should talk,” Thea said. “You both deserve to be happy and you won’t be able to be that without first dealing with this thing that’s between you.”

Felicity turned on the faucet and washed her hands before drying them and placing them against her forehead. She didn’t know if Roy’s suspicions were true and there was no way for her to know for certain either. If she were to tell Oliver anything, it would all be wild guessing and nothing more. What had happened between the two of them in Russia and after still hurt her and it felt like someone had put a fire-poker inside her stomach and started twisting it around every time she thought of it. The pain was too much for her when she was human and it was almost easier to deal with it all in wolf form, because then she could allow her animal instincts to take over some instead. Hunting was a good way of distracting herself, but she would never really be able to forget what had happened, even though she tried to block it out as a wolf.

That night in the Foundry, she hadn’t wanted Roy to find out. She knew that he was loyal to her as her Beta, but seeing him rage and scream at Oliver the way that he had hadn’t been something she had wanted to see. Oliver had hurt her and things were as they were for now, but she too knew that Thea was right on some level. Things couldn’t keep going like this because if they did, one of them would end up dead and she didn’t want that. Her wound still stung from the night that the Canary had stabbed her and it was taking time to heal properly. Roy checked it over every morning but it remained as a reminder of her own recklessness on the streets. She had been taking too many risks and she had to stop.

She didn’t have to forgive Oliver for what he had done, but she  _ had  _ to do her best to be able to work with him again. They were supposed to be a team and they had put their personal drama first instead of thinking about what was best for the citizens of Starling City. Even if they wouldn’t be able to repair their friendship after all of this, they still had to keep fighting to protect the innocents of the city. Felicity knew it as sure as she knew that she would eventually be forced to face her fears regarding Roy’s suspicions on her and Oliver’s closeness before Russia.

-§-

They were preparing to go out and hunt down the Canary when Oliver approached her. He was already wearing his Arrow-suit and he was pulling on his gloves when he came to stand by her side. Somehow, everyone else in the Foundry seemed to take that as their cue to leave the place and Felicity turned to look at him. It was the first time in a long while that they actually  _ looked  _ at one another. She wanted to keep the anger on her face, but instead, all she could be was guarded.

Oliver cleared his throat, “Are you sure that this is the only way?”

“This is the  _ best  _ way,” Felicity nodded. “I’ll track the Canary’s scent as a wolf and you’ll come with me because Roy can’t turn when there isn’t a full moon. I’ll communicate with him through my thoughts and he’ll translate them to you through the comm-link. There’s nothing complicated about it.”

“Okay,” Oliver said, still not sounding fully convinced. 

She looked at him and then shook her head, “Is there anything else or are you going to back away and let me turn in peace?”

Oliver sighed, clenching his jaw as he stood up straighter. “Look, Felicity,” he started. “I know that I fucked up bad and nothing I can say will ever be able to convey just how sorry I am for everything that I’ve done.”

Felicity forced herself to keep staring at him, ignoring the way that her heart was beating hard in her chest at his words.

“I’ve destroyed our friendship, first of all, and besides the obvious things, that’s what I regret the most,” Oliver confessed. “I know that it’s going to take time and I don’t know if even that will help in the long haul, but you have to know, I’m so sorry. What I did is unforgivable, but I hope that somewhere deep down in your heart, you can find it in yourself to forgive me for what I’ve done. It doesn’t have to be today or in a week or even months from now. Hell, take all the years you need,” he said, shaking his head at himself. Felicity could see his eyes glaze over and he looked down, blinking a couple of times as he did. She could smell the saltiness of his tears and it made her stomach twist to know that Oliver was actually standing in front of her, trying to hide the fact that he was on the verge of crying.

“I just want you to know that I’ll always be here, as your partner first and foremost, but hopefully, in time, as a friend too again,” he said, meeting her eyes once more.

She wanted to scream and cry and tell him  _ everything  _ but she knew that she couldn’t. A part of her wished that she would just suck it up and force him to feel everything that she had felt when she had found him with Isabel, but it would be no use to just linger in the past. They needed to keep moving because there were both new and old threats present in Starling City and they had to put the people first. Oliver’s speech wouldn’t fix anything, but it could be a start for their recovery if she allowed it to be.

“Oliver…” she started, but trailed off the moment he looked at her again. She swallowed thickly and shook her head. “Let’s just get through the night alive,” she said, turning away from him once more.

-§-

They tracked the Canary’s scent to the abandoned old clock tower in town. It was clear that the huntress had been living there for quite some time because there was a mattress on the floor and an arsenal of weapons placed on top of some old shelves. Oliver and Felicity took their time examining the room, Oliver picking up the weapons and lowering them to Felicity so that she could sniff on them.

“ _ Felicity says that the scent is definitely the same. That’s without a doubt the Canary’s hiding place, _ ” Roy said through the comm-link.

They kept looking through the various items and Oliver walked over to the small cot, picking up the pillow to check if there was anything underneath. He found a picture underneath the mattress and looked at it curiously. His stomach dropped when he recognized the woman in the photograph and he turned it to Felicity so that she could look at it.

“ _ Laurel? Why would the Canary have a picture of Laurel? _ ” Roy wondered through the communications device.

His question was unanswered when a loud noise erupted from behind them. Felicity howled, covering her sensitive wolf ears at the same time that Oliver did too. He turned around, lifting his bow before releasing the arrow on the woman who stood in the doorway, dressed in black leather. He charged at her when she dodged his first attack and instantly, they were on one another. Oliver grunted as he took a kick to the stomach and he spared a glance in Felicity’s direction, but she still seemed to be writhing on the floor. He looked down and noticed that the woman was holding down the button on some kind of device and he butted his head against hers before reaching down to grab it from her. He pressed down on the button and the wolf stopped twitching and whimpering. In relief he watched Felicity go from a mess on the floor to a feral animal as she stood on all fours and growled at the huntress before launching herself at her back. Oliver managed to struggle free from the woman’s grasp when she let out a sharp cry as Felicity dug her claws into her back. The huntress stumbled and Felicity somehow got her paw tangled in the woman’s hair. When the two of them fell to the floor, Oliver stared at the Canary, whose  _ wig  _ Felicity had somehow managed to pull off from her head. It was a familiar shade of blonde and all of the sudden, the picture started making sense.

But  _ nothing  _ was making sense.

It couldn’t be  _ her _ because she was dead, right?

Oliver forced himself out of his thoughts when the Canary wrestled Felicity to the floor. Just as he was about to jump the woman, Felicity managed to flip them over. The wolf towered over the Canary and Oliver felt something akin to pride well inside of him. The feeling quickly faded when he saw that Felicity must have torn open her stitches because she was bleeding from her shoulder. Oliver shot her a worried look which was concealed by his hood, but finally went back to business as he lowered himself down and removed the Canary’s mask.

Shock and confusion filled him as he stared at the familiar face. He didn’t understand how it could be true, but the evidence was staring right back at him, hissing and growling, ready to scream bloody murder at him. He took a step back and Felicity seemed to have sensed his hesitation because she turned to look at him. It gave the Canary enough momentum to push the wolf off of her and stand to attack again, so Oliver did the only thing that made sense for him to do in that moment. He dropped his bow and lifted his hands into the air as he quickly came to stand in front of Felicity. He tore off his hood and stared wide-eyed at the blonde woman who paused in the middle of her attack.

“It’s me, Sara,” he panted. “It’s Oliver!”

Sara looked at him curiously as a frown set on her face. She took a step back and stared, “Ollie?”

There was a moment when he wasn’t sure whether she would keep attacking or if she would stand down. He wasn’t entirely certain what he would do if she did either thing though. When she took a couple of quick steps toward him, he prepared for the worst. As soon as her arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, he let out a deep breath and lifted his hands to return the embrace.

-§-

The silence in the Foundry was deafening.

Diggle, Tommy and Roy all stood with their arms crossed as they watched Sara who was calmly looking around the place, examining every little corner of the room. Felicity had changed back to human form and Oliver wasn’t going to push his luck by starting to question why she had come to stand next to him. A part of him hoped that what he had said to her earlier had gotten through to her somehow, but he couldn’t be sure until she actually told him so. She hadn’t said much after he had finished speaking to her and they  _ had  _ survived the night, which meant that there would come a time when they would speak.

Now though, the fact that Sara Lance was alive and well and back in Starling City was the biggest shock of the night and the only thing that they could focus on. Oliver was almost glad that his team’s attention wasn’t directed at him at the moment, but Sara seemed to be unfazed about the looks that they were all giving her.

“Let me get this straight,” Tommy said after a moment. “Sara Lance - Laurel’s baby sister who has been presumed to be dead for the past seven years - is the Canary?”

“Let  _ me  _ get this straight,” Sara countered, tilting her head to look at them all curiously. “My sister’s ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her with me, is the Hunter of Starling City who has changed sides and started working together with Nightcrawlers after he was presumed dead for several years. Oh, and did I miss the fact that  _ his  _ best friend is now engaged to my sister?” She looked at Tommy, “Congrats, by the way.”

“When I said that things couldn’t get more strange than Felicity and Roy being able to read one another’s mind, I was clearly not telling the Universe to send all of this down on us,” Diggle muttered.

“Okay, so we’ve stated that Laurel’s sister is apparently live and kicking,  _ hard, _ ” Felicity said, sending Sara a look. Sara only looked at her strangely. “Oliver hasn’t ‘changed sides’ as you put it. He’s just realized that not all Dark Ones are, well,  _ dark. _ ”

“Is that why he’s been working with you two wolves?” Sara wondered, sounding genuinely curious now. 

“Well, yes,” Roy said, shooting a glare at Sara. “Not all wolves are bad.”

“Perhaps not,” Sara shrugged. “I’ve been taught differently, though.”

“Why have you come back here, Sara?” Oliver asked, finally stepping up to her. “Why come back to Starling City after seven years of letting everyone think you’re dead?”

“I waited two years longer than you and now I’m somehow the bad guy here?” Sara asked.

“You’re the bad guy because you  _ stabbed  _ Felicity,” Roy growled, taking a step forward.

Oliver watched as Felicity put her hand up, instantly calming the young man who kept glaring at the other blonde.

“I’m sorry about that,” Sara said. “If I had known that you and Oliver were friends, I would have waited a bit before trying to kill you and your Beta.”

“I suppose if that’s the best apology I’m going to get, I might as well take it,” Felicity stated. “Now, why have you returned?”

“I heard about the Undertaking,” Sara said. “I wanted to come back and check on my family to make sure they were okay. Once I checked on Laurel and my dad, I stayed because I figured I could take care of some Crawlers. Do you know that you have quite a few hybrids roaming the streets at night?”

“We’re aware of it,” Oliver nodded through gritted teeth. He didn’t like being reminded of the Undertaking. He especially didn’t like to think about the blood exchange that he and Felicity had had that night and how it had made him feel. “We’re taking care of it,” Oliver said.

“I don’t have anything better to do right now, so would you like some help with that?” Sara asked.

“Okay, calm down little Ms. Stabby,” Roy protested. “You can’t just waltz in here after trying to kill two members of this team and think we’re going to just accept you being here. The decision isn’t all Oliver’s to make. The rest of us have a say too.”

“Of course,” Sara nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Besides, we don’t even know who  _ you’ve  _ been working for,” Roy continued. “For all we know, you might decide to betray us and out us to the rest of Starling City.”

“Do you really think I would do such a thing?” Sara questioned.

“Considering that you stabbed my Alpha in the back,  _ literally,  _ I wouldn’t put it past you,” Roy said.

Oliver understood Roy’s concerns and he looked at the rest of his team who also looked fairly reluctant to let Sara in on their mission. He turned to Felicity, who was just watching Sara with a hint of curiosity.

“I think she might be able to help us,” Felicity finally said. “If Oliver is willing to vouch for her, I’m willing to accept her working with us.  _ Temporarily. _ ”

Roy didn’t seem to like it very much, but finally he nodded. “Okay,” he said, “but if I ever see you with another wooden dagger anywhere close to Felicity, I’ll make sure you poke your own eye out with it.”

Tommy and Diggle nodded in agreement to Felicity’s words and they all looked to Oliver, who sighed. He turned back to Sara, “Don’t make me regret this, okay?”

Sara smiled, “I promise that you won’t.”

-§-

They agreed to let Sara go back to the clock tower after treating her. She told them that she wasn’t going to run anywhere because she wanted to help make Starling City safe again for her family. It was all too surreal and he didn’t know what to do with anything. What he had done to Felicity was something that kept nagging at him and he didn’t think he would ever be able to forgive himself for that. Then there was this thing with Sara and how she had apparently been away somewhere for seven years, being trained not only as a huntress, but also as a full-blown assassin as well. Before she had left for the night she had promised to stop killing Dark Ones until she was out with Oliver on a hunt, but Oliver knew how easy it could be to fall back into old patterns.

Another issue that they had was Laurel. Tommy didn’t feel comfortable with lying to his fiancée about her sister being alive, but he knew that it was necessary. A city could only deal with one miraculous return from the dead in two years without the media setting their eyes on them too much. If Sara was to be revealed alive, it would without a doubt send the press spiraling their way and they had enough to deal with as it was.

Felicity had left the Foundry together with Roy again. They hadn’t wanted to stick around after they had all agreed on letting Sara help them. Oliver wasn’t really sure why he had agreed to let her help considering that years had passed since he had last seen her. He couldn’t know whether or not she was the same person as before and to be quite honest, he doubted that she was. The Sara that he had known hadn’t been a trained assassin, for one. When she had spoken about Laurel though, he could hear the genuine care in her voice and that was the only thing that had bought him over. He didn’t know how long she was going to stay in Starling City but if she was still around whenever they found the Master, she could be an useful ally.

Oliver was alone down in the Foundry when he heard the doors open. He looked up, breath caught in his throat as he waited for whoever it was to descend. Disappointment filled him when he saw that it was only Roy, but at the same time he was surprised to see the young man there again since he had retired for the night.

“What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, trying his best not to sound rude.

“I could ask you the same,” Roy remarked sarcastically.

Oliver didn’t say anything at first. He only shook his head.

“I came here to work out because I couldn’t sleep,” Roy explained.

Oliver watched him warily, not sure how to react to him sharing that information with him. Roy approached him slowly and sat down on the training mat, resting his arms on his knees.

“Is Felicity all right?” Oliver wondered.

Roy shook his head, “She hasn’t been for a while, but I know that she probably wouldn't want me to tell  _ you  _ anything.”

“Why are you telling me then?” Oliver wanted to know.

“Because even though you’ve fucked up so bad that I want to strangle you, I know that you deep down care for her and are as worried as I am,” Roy said. “She doesn’t sleep much. I think that might be why the Canary was able to get that stab in. She isn’t healing properly either and her ripping the stitches didn’t help much.”

“I can ask Sara if there was something added to the dagger,” Oliver said.

“I think Sara’s done enough as it is,” Roy sneered. He turned away for a moment, resting his head on his arms. “I came here tonight because I knew you’d be here.”

“Why?” Oliver frowned.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, but Felicity can’t know about it,” Roy said. “I’ve tried talking her into telling you, but she doesn’t exactly want to have that kind of conversation with you and I can’t blame her for that.”

“Can you please get to the point?” Oliver asked, his gut twisting painfully when he was reminded of the pain that he had caused the blonde.

“I just need to make sure that you won’t go babbling off to anyone else,” Roy stated.

“Do I look like the type that babbles?”

“How would I know?” Roy shrugged again. “You don’t seem like the kind of guy who makes very good calls either.” Oliver clenched his jaw, but nodded at Roy to continue. Roy took a deep breath, “There is this thing among werewolves, which is kind of just a myth. I’ve been researching it a lot since I gained control of my turning because I’ve been feeling very drawn and connected to Thea.”

“Oh, God, I don’t want to hear about you  _ ‘connecting’  _ with my sister,” Oliver cringed.

“Not like  _ that, _ ” Roy said, shaking his head at him. “Okay, maybe a little like that too, but that isn’t the main point,” he cleared his throat. “The thing is that I came across some old legends about wolves forming a mate-bond with their respective other. You know, like a soulmate, or something similar.”

“What does that have to do with Felicity?” Oliver wondered, his interest piqued.

“Well, I didn’t know why you two had fallen out before, but I figured that her healing factor acting up and her wolf-side coming out more often was some kind of sign that something was changing inside of her,” Roy said. “After you guys returned from Russia, she was devastated in a way that I’ve never seen before. I thought you two had just had a simple argument and that that was the reason, but when you didn’t get any better, I started wondering.”

Oliver could only stare at Roy as the young man stood and faced him. “Felicity is a werewolf first and foremost,” he said. “She was turned into a hybrid by the Master, but there’s no way for us to know for sure just how they managed to turn her. Originally though, she is a wolf and wolves are loyal creatures to their pack, which makes this hard for me to share with you, but I think you kind of deserve to know,” Roy explained. “A mate-bond is shared between a wolf and the person that they fall in love with. When a wolf finds their mate they connect with them on a spiritual level, basically. I know for a fact that I would never be able to betray Thea or hurt her in any way because it would destroy me to see her in pain.”

“You mean like I hurt Felicity,” Oliver said. “Are you saying that Felicity and I…?”

“I don’t know,” Roy said. “I thought so, before, but now I don’t know. We don’t even know if there’s anything to the legends or if it’s just myth, but from the way that you two were before Russia - that connection you shared - it’s basically what the mate-bond is all about.”

“But I’m not a wolf,” Oliver stated.

“Neither is Thea, but it works for us,” Roy shared.

“Does Thea know?”

“I told her about it as soon as I found out and suspected it,” Roy told him. “Sometimes it takes nothing more than a shared look, but other times it takes more physical measures to connect fully.”

“Like exchanging blood?” Oliver stared at him, his mind going at high-speed as he remembered that night and the way that he had felt when he had had Felicity in his arms.

“Yeah, could work, I guess,” Roy narrowed his eyes at him. Oliver knew that Roy suspected something now, but he wasn’t going to confirm it to him.

“Why didn’t Felicity tell me all of this?” Oliver asked. “Or better yet, why did you?”

“She wasn’t sure if it was real,” Roy said. “I don’t think she believes in it or maybe she just wants to live in denial. I already told you why I’m telling you and it’s because I think that you deserved to know before you go and do something stupid again that will only cause her more pain.”

“The bond, what else would it mean, if it truly existed?” Oliver wondered.

“Your pain is her pain,” Roy told him. “You pick up on one another’s emotions in a different way. It would be like sharing a soul, knowing and understanding each other on a level unlike any other.” Roy watched him carefully for a moment. “If it’s all true and you and Felicity have already bonded, or were close to doing so, she would feel the loss more prominently than you. It’s her instinct as a wolf to feel hurt and betrayed considering how close you two were before Russia,” he said.

Oliver’s heart beat wildly in his chest and the remorse that he had felt before grew tenfold. He wanted nothing more than to fall on his knees in front of Felicity and beg for her forgiveness. He knew that he would need to prove himself in her eyes and maybe it would take years, but he would be there, just like he had told her today.

“Anyway, I wanted you to know that, so that you understand that maybe it wasn’t as simple as a betrayal of trust,” Roy said. “We can’t know if it’s true for sure until you connect fully, but considering everything that has happened, maybe it’s better that you haven’t.” He shifted awkwardly on his feet and then shrugged. “Okay, I’ve said what I wanted, now I have to head home. Felicity’s probably going to be waking up soon and I don’t want her to worry about me.”

Oliver looked at the clock, “It’s 2 AM?”

Roy looked at him again, that dark look coming over him that made Oliver’s gut twist with guilt. “Felicity has been having nightmares,” he said. “She doesn’t sleep like she used to.”

Oliver swallowed thickly, his eyes lowering to the training mat. He heard Roy walk away and out of the Foundry, without saying either goodnight or goodbye. Oliver couldn’t blame him, especially after what he had learned tonight.

_ Soulmates _ .

Could they be that?

Roy had told him that there was no way of knowing and according to him, Felicity didn’t believe in such things. However, there were many people in the world who didn’t believe in monsters lurking in the shadows, and yet he was out there almost every night hunting them. He had known all along that he needed to fix things between him and Felicity somehow, but now he felt the need to do so even more. Maybe the bond between them had been bent because of what he had done, but hope wasn’t lost until it was all broken. If Felicity had agreed to work with him tonight, he was going to view it as a step forward on the road to recovery. He would bide his time and he wouldn’t push her for more than she was ready to give. If the bond really existed between them, then he owed it to the both of them to do his very best to change and make them whole again.

Roy might not be sure and Felicity might not believe in it, but Oliver  _ knew. _ He remembered the way that he had felt when he had first laid eyes on Felicity and he remembered how he had fought the connection between the two of them with every fiber of his being. The self-loathing he had felt when he had had all those impure dreams and thoughts about her and the way that they had gone from being enemies, to friends and then  _ more. _ He wanted to go back and change things, but since he couldn’t, he would simply have to change and keep moving forward. He would do his best to now make things worse and he would earn back Felicity’s trust.

When he did, he might finally be able to admit to her that he was a coward and a fool for denying what he had known deep inside, even since before the Undertaking. 

He was in love with her and because he believed that she deserved better than the man he was, he would do his best to be better and work to earn her love too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Drop a comment if you feel like it and tell me what you thought! Also, don't forget, if you like this story at least a little and have read and enjoyed Crumbled Papers, please visit awards. fanaticfanfics. com and vote for Hunted and Crumbled Papers in the All-Time Favorite DC Fanfic category to show and give your support! It's very much appreciated!
> 
> Until next time! xx


	22. The League

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity tries to prove to Sara that she isn't like other Dark Ones, Oliver picks a side and weeks later, someone shows up who might finally be able to help Felicity get the answers she's been looking for regarding the Master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too long and I am not even going to try to explain myself. My muse acted up when it comes to this story, but it's back and hopefully it'll stay here until the very end.
> 
> I will keep this short because I knew you most likely wanna get on with it, so here's the only thing you need to remember while reading this: So far, Felicity doesn't actually remember anything about her transformation to hybrid. All she knows is that she was captured, tortured and injected with something unknown before being forcibly turned into a wolf to complete the transformation (This last part happened after she witnessed the death of the little kid...). She's always said that things have been blurry for her when it comes to what actually happened and if you remember, during the Undertaking, she was mumbling incoherent things when she was first affected by Malcolm's sound device.
> 
> Also, there's some time jumping in this fic, but I hope it makes sense! Enjoy! :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 22: The League**

 

The sound of grunts, pants and bo-staffs connecting was the only thing that could be heard inside the Foundry as Felicity walked down the stairs. She listened intently, inhaling deep through her nose to scent who it was that was down there. There was no surprise to smell Oliver’s familiar musk because he had practically been living there for the past week. Felicity had talked to Thea a couple of times when she had come to visit Roy and the girl had expressed her worry for her brother. Apparently, he had forbidden Thea from coming down to the lair with him, though, he hadn’t given his sister a reason. Felicity knew that it had to do with Sara and keeping the fact that the blonde had also survived the Gambit’s shipwreck a secret. It was understandable why he wouldn’t want anyone to know about Sara’s return from the dead. Too many questions would arise and the media would once again set their eyes on Oliver, which would in turn only cause more inconvenience for him as the Arrow.

Tommy had been having a difficult time hiding the truth about Sara to Laurel. That was why he had decided to stay away from the Foundry unless he was absolutely needed for a mission. So far, they had been doing okay, especially since Felicity had been trying to stay on her best behavior with Oliver.

She was still hurt over what had happened in Russia; the wounds were too fresh for her to ignore, even after weeks had passed. Despite the fact that she saw herself as headstrong, she knew that what he had said to her before they had found Sara had hit her right in the heart. His apology had been sincere and she had been able to feel it all the way into her bones and that was the  _ only  _ reason that she had decided to try and forgive him. It wouldn’t be easy, but she knew that she didn’t have to growl at him to show him that she was angry with him and she was no longer running out on the streets at night on her own, looking for a way to let out her anger.

In fact, most of her anger had been worked through, but just as she had told Thea, it was the  _ hurt  _ that was the most difficult to get over.

She walked down the stairs and her eyes instantly settled on Sara and Oliver who were sparring. Pretending that she wasn’t paying attention to them, Felicity walked to her computers and sat down, looking over her searches that were going slower than she would have liked.

“Felicity, hi,” Oliver said and she couldn’t help but notice how breathless he sounded due to the workout. There was also a hint of uncertainty that Felicity didn’t quite know what to think of.

“Hi,” she said, spinning around in her chair to face him. For a moment, her eyes zeroed in on his naked chest, but she forced herself to look away. Instead, her eyes settled on the other blonde who was watching her with amusement. “Sara,” she acknowledged.

“Wolf,” Sara nodded back.

Felicity grit her teeth, reeling in her temper. Since Sara had agreed to help them make the city safe again, the two of them had been having a difficult time trusting one another. Oliver was wary of the whole situation from what Felicity could sense, but he hadn’t done anything to intervene whenever she and Sara had had a disagreement. Then again, most of the time, it was all just petty things they debated over. The thing that was making it difficult for them to work together was the fact that Sara was a trained huntress and Felicity was a hybrid. It seemed that Sara held the same hatred for Dark Ones that Oliver had had when she had first met him, but Felicity was patient enough to give the woman some time to adjust to them working together. Mostly, Sara kept her comments to herself, but sometimes she would address Felicity in the manner that she had done just now and it would send Felicity’s head boiling.

She was more than just a wolf, damn it.

“Sara,” Oliver warned and Felicity was surprised by the fact that he had actually said something this time around. Maybe it was because the three of them were alone tonight. Felicity had given Roy the night off to stay with Thea who was complaining about being left out again and Diggle had requested a night for himself. A part of Felicity suspected that it had to do with Lyla Michaels, but Diggle was a private person when it came to his love life. Still, seeing him smiling more often made her feel a lot better too and the happiness that Roy had found with Thea made her believe that it was possible for something good existing in all of their lives.

According to Roy, though, she could have something good too eventually. Felicity shook the thought away from her head, not wanting to think about Roy’s suspicions about her and Oliver slowly developing a mate-bond. The way that he had spoken to her about it made it sound like the two of them were meant to be in the long haul, and yes, Felicity knew that she had felt unexplainably drawn to Oliver since the beginning of their partnership, but with how he had hurt her, she wasn’t sure if she  _ wanted  _ them to be mates. Then again, the mate-bond was a curious thing and sometimes one didn’t have much choice in the matter. Felicity’s problem was that she had already allowed herself to grow closer to Oliver and if a potential bond existed, then it had most likely already begun to form.

With Sara’s surprise arrival, Felicity was able to sense a change in Oliver. He seemed more agitated and on-edge than before; as if he was always watching his step. Felicity remembered how she had come to stand next to him when they had been discussing whether they should let Sara help them or not. That had also been one of those natural reactions that she didn’t want to acknowledge. She knew that Sara and Oliver had a past and it was more than just him sleeping with his then-girlfriend’s sister. He had clearly cared about Sara a lot and Felicity recalled how sad he had looked a good while ago when she had mentioned the blonde who had now come back from the dead. Felicity hated the fact that her inner wolf had reacted in such a way; coming to stand next to Oliver as if she was staking a claim on him. He wasn’t hers to claim and he wasn’t something she could just proclaim ownership over. He was a person and he was allowed to make his own choices.

And he had chosen to do his best to make amends with her.

Oliver had declared his wish to make amends with her and even though Felicity was reluctant due to how hurt she had been by him, she missed him. She would never admit it out loud, but having Sara there bothered her too. It wasn’t that Sara was looking at Oliver in any particular kind of way. No, the thing that bothered Felicity was the way that the other blonde spoke to her and Roy. She seemed to talk down to them with only hatred in her voice and it made Felicity angry that she wasn’t even giving them a chance to prove that they weren’t like the other wolves that she must have encountered in the past.

“What’s the plan for tonight, Felicity?” Oliver asked, shaking Felicity from her deep thoughts.

She blinked a couple of times, “Well, since it’s just the three of us down here, I suppose that you and Sara will be going out and I’ll be third-wheeling from here.” Oliver stared at her and Felicity cringed at her choice of words. “You know what I mean,” she said, noticing how Oliver’s lips twitched as he nodded.

“It’s just going to be us out there tonight then?” Sara wondered as she turned to Oliver.

“You heard what Felicity said,” Oliver said.

“Yeah, but is she  _ really  _ going to be our only backup?” Sara asked, shooting Felicity a look which made her insides twist.

“You know what?” Felicity snapped, stepping toward Sara. “I am sick and tired of you talking to me like this.”

“I’m not comfortable with having a  _ wolf  _ watching my back,” Sara retorted.

“I’m  _ more  _ than a fracking wolf!” Felicity growled.

“Is that why your eyes are yellow right now?” Sara scoffed, hands balling into fists. “Or why your  _ fangs  _ are growing out?

“I’ll show you fangs,” Felicity hissed at the other blonde. Just as she was about to close the distance between them, she felt Oliver’s hand on her elbow. She turned toward him, ready to yell at him too for stopping her and taking Sara’s side. However, before she could do so, she took note of his dark gaze that was set on Sara.

“Stop,” he said, but he was still looking at Sara. Felicity’s heart sped up as she took him and his tense posture in. “Stop talking to her like that, Sara.” Sara raised an eyebrow at him, looking confused. Oliver was still holding on to Felicity’s elbow and she sighed to herself because annoyingly enough, it was having a calming effect on her.

“Oliver,” Sara began, but he just shook his head at her.

“I don’t want to hear another word. I’ve been watching you do this to her and Roy since you came back and for a while, I thought I’d just give you time to adjust to the idea of working with them. I can see that it’s not working,” Oliver said. “Felicity is a part of my team. She is my  _ partner  _ and Roy is her beta. I don’t give a fuck if you were trained by assassins to hate every Dark One in existence, but I’m telling you now that Felicity and Roy are not  _ Nightcrawlers.  _ They are people and they are  _ my  _ people, so cut out the shit attitude or go back to Nanda Parbat.”

A minute of silence followed and Felicity was too stunned to say anything. She kept looking at Oliver, but it seemed like he was set on just staring Sara down, who was frowning at him with her arms crossed. Finally, she nodded slowly.

“Okay,” Sara said. “I’m sorry for treating you like crap.”

In Felicity’s ears, she couldn’t hear much remorse there, but it was good enough for now. If Sara really was going to stick around, Felicity knew that she would come around on her own eventually.

“Good,” Oliver said, finally letting go of Felicity’s elbow as he walked over to get his suit. Felicity swallowed thickly, looking after him as he walked into the changing area before she turned back to Sara who was looking at her with narrowed eyes. It wasn’t annoyance or anger there anymore, just confusion. Clearly, Sara had seen something which she hadn’t been expecting and all of the sudden, Felicity’s elbow felt as if it was on fire. She reached up and rubbed it subconsciously, wanting to remove the warmth that Oliver had left behind.

“I’m going to get dressed and head out,” Sara told her. “Tell Oliver I’ll meet him out there.”

“Okay,” Felicity nodded curtly. She walked over to her desk and took out a comm-link, handing it to Sara who put it in her ear. “Keep that in at all times,” Felicity instructed.

Sara just nodded at her before turning away and walking off.

-§-

Oliver stepped out of the dressing room, looking around the Foundry. He only saw Felicity sitting by her computers, staring absentmindedly into space.

“Hey,” he said softly as he approached her, “where’s Sara?”

“She told me to tell you that she’ll be waiting out on the streets,” Felicity answered, turning to look at him.

He could see the wheels turning inside her head and he wondered what it was that she was thinking about. Oliver hated the fact that he had remained quiet for so long regarding Sara’s treatment of her and Roy. He had tried talking to Sara about it when they had been alone, but he knew that her hatred for Dark Ones ran deep and it wasn’t just based on some of the things they had gone through together on Lian Yu.

He still remembered when Sara had show up there, alive and well enough on the Freighter. They had spent time on the damned island together and fought off the creatures of the night that had roamed in the woods. Oliver had watched Sara become stronger, but they had become separated again and the second time, he had thought that he had lost her for good. Now that she was back though, Sara had shared with him where she had been for so many years. During his travels, Oliver had heard of the place called Nanda Parbat where the secret organization of hunters resided. According to Sara, she had been found there by the daughter of the leader of the League of Assassins and she had been taken in and trained. That was where the difference between Oliver and Sara laid; she had been  _ trained  _ to hate Dark Ones, while Oliver’s own dislike for them had been self-taught and later enhanced by the people he had met during his journeys. 

Oliver didn’t know whether Sara would be all right with him sharing where she had gotten her training, but he had told her that he wasn’t going to keep secrets from his team. She hadn’t liked the idea of Felicity and Roy knowing, though, Oliver kept insisting that they were a vital part of his team and that they too needed to know. Sara had simply sneered at him then and told him to do what he thought was necessary for them to let her work with them to make the city safe again. In the end, Oliver told them everything he knew about Sara and her return to Starling City. It was clear that she had come there to check on her family, but then gotten caught up in fighting the Dark Ones. She didn’t know much about the Master, but she had agreed to help them find out what they could about him and they needed as much help as they could get.

“Uh, Oliver?”

He looked at Felicity, surprised to see that she had walked over to stand in front of him. Once again, he had fallen too deeply into his own mind. He needed to be more aware of his surroundings, or else it might cost him a great deal one day.

“Yes?” he asked, meeting her uncertain gaze.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Felicity told him, keeping her head high. “For standing up for me and Roy. You didn’t have to do that just because I was close to losing my temper, but I still appreciate it.”

“You had it under control,” Oliver said, “but it’s nothing. I told you where I stand. I won’t let anyone hurt you, not even me.”

For a moment, he was afraid that he had said the wrong thing because he could see the haunted look in Felicity’s eyes as she swallowed thickly. He wanted to say something else to assure her that he knew that she was perfectly capable of handling herself, but he told himself to just remain quiet and let her lead the conversation. After all, this was probably the first time in a long while that she had been the one to initiate a conversation between the two of them.

“There’s something else,” Felicity said, brushing her hair behind her ear. Oliver wanted nothing more than to reach forward and do it himself, but he knew that he shouldn’t. Still, the urge was there and it made his fingers itch.

“Is something wrong?” Oliver wondered.

“I… I guess I just wanted to say sorry for what happened in the lair a while ago,” Felicity sighed, not meeting his eyes. “I never intended for Roy to find out about what happened and I didn’t want him or the others to get involved in all of it.”

What was she talking about? Did she know that Roy had come to talk to him? Had Felicity found out about Roy telling him about the mate-bond?

Oliver opened his mouth, but all of the sudden it felt dry and he didn’t know what to say. Felicity still wouldn’t meet his eyes though and even though he understood why, it bothered him.

“You’re talking about…?” he drawled.

Felicity closed her eyes, turning her attention to him again. She tilted her head and looked up at him and the air felt a bit heavier.

“Him punching you,” Felicity clarified. “I should have stepped in instantly but, well, you know,” she shrugged.

He did know. If he had been in her spot, he too would have probably enjoyed watching the asshole who broke his heart get punched.

“It’s okay,” Oliver told her. “I deserved it.”

“Not going to argue with that,” Felicity said, her lips twitching. It made his heart race and he was beginning to feel a bit pathetic. It was amazing how much the realization that one loves a person can change things. The road to repair what they had would be long and it would take time, he knew that. He wasn’t going to give up and whatever she gave him in the end of it all, he would be grateful to get.

“We should get going, right? I mean, Sara is waiting and we don’t want her alone out there for too long,” Felicity said, chuckling awkwardly, wringing her hands together.

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed.

“Yeah,” Felicity echoed, breathing out softly and offering him a small smile before turning around and walking back to her computers. Oliver watched her, letting out a breath of his own before heading out of the Foundry.

-§-

Everything was going okay, until it wasn’t.

Oliver had met up with Sara and the two of them had patrolled the streets. Felicity wasn’t sure why she hadn’t seen it coming, because it was clear that Sara was far more impulsive than either of them. She had set out a route for Sara and Oliver which she knew would be safe, but Sara had heard something and gone off in the opposite direction. The following thirty minutes had been a whirlwind of events that had exhausted even Felicity.

Oliver had been fuming when they had returned to the Foundry and he had yelled at Sara for taking unnecessary risks. They had been ambushed by a small gang of made vampires and they had been forced to put them down. There had been quite a few moments where Felicity had been forced to shout directions at the two hunters because they hadn’t seen the attackers coming from behind and Felicity was still trembling now that they were back safely in the Foundry.

“If you’re going to stay with us, you’re going to have to communicate, Sara!” Oliver yelled and Felicity couldn’t remember if she had ever seen him as angry as he was at that moment. “We could have died out there, all because  _ you  _ decided to go rogue!”

“I told you that I heard a woman scream for help,” Sara snapped back, but she didn’t sound so sure of herself anymore.

“There were three female vampires in that group,” Oliver said. “One of them must have screamed to get our attention. You screwed up and that’s on you!”

“We got out of there, though, right?” Sara countered. “We killed them all.”

“You just don’t understand, do you?” Oliver scoffed, looking at her in disbelief. “If we had gotten killed-”

“We would have been killed fulfilling our mission,” Sara said calmly.

Felicity stared at her and her mouth dropped open. From what she had understood, Sara had spent the past seven or so years being trained by a group of dangerous hunters called the League of Assassins. Still, Felicity couldn’t believe that she had just spoken the words that she had. Did that mean that Sara wasn’t afraid of dying? That she was willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good?

“I used to think that way too,” Oliver said, his hands balling up into fists. “Now I know that it shouldn’t be like that. We shouldn’t be fighting to take down as many as we can with us. We should be fighting to make a better place that we too can live in.”

“The girl I was before is gone, Oliver,” Sara said, her stare hard.

“Gone does not equal dead,” Felicity finally interjected. Her words gained the attention of both Oliver and Sara, who turned to look at her. Both of them went quiet and Felicity met Oliver’s gaze for just a moment before he looked away. Felicity turned her attention back to Sara. The other blonde’s jaw was clenched, but she kept her focus on Felicity.

“Just because you say that the girl you were before is gone, it doesn’t mean that she’s dead,” Felicity said. “I’ve heard about you before… From Oliver, Thea… Laurel.”

Something flickered in Sara’s eyes and Felicity took a deep breath, hoping that she was getting through to her somehow.

“I don’t know you from back then, and yeah, you’ve been a bitch to me and Roy since you came here, but I don’t want you to get yourself killed out there because you think it’s somehow your purpose,” Felicity said. “If you’ve lived this long, then you’re meant to keep going. There might be more in store for you than just being an assassin.”

Silence filled the room for a while, until Sara spoke, “I know I was in the wrong. I just thought that someone needed help. I’m sorry.” Her voice was short-clipped, but Felicity was still happy that she had apologized.

“Don’t let it happen again, Sara,” Oliver said. “Or I swear to everything that it’ll be your final night on our team. I can’t have a loose cannon with me. You need to control yourself.”

“I will, I promise,” Sara said and for the first time since she had met her, Felicity believed her. Oliver only nodded and walked away to get cleaned up. Felicity watched him go, stomach churning at the sight of blood sprayed over his face and body. It had been too close of a call and Felicity had felt sick throughout the entire fight. Every piece of her had been itching to get out of the lair and turn so that she could help them; help Oliver. No matter how angry or hurt she had been, she didn’t want him to end up killed and despite the way that Sara had been acting toward her, Felicity knew that if the woman died, it would end up breaking Oliver.

“Eh, Felicity,” Sara said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Felicity looked at her, startled that the huntress actually used her name, “Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Sara said. “For having my back out there tonight. There was a moment that surely would have ended with me dead if you hadn’t told me to watch out. I owe you my life.”

“Considering how little you think it’s worth, I don’t know what to think about what you just said,” Felicity told her.

“I know,” Sara said, a small chuckle escaping her lips. “I’ll work on it, but I still owe you. I’ll try to make all of this work.”

“Okay,” Felicity nodded, but she wasn’t going to believe it until she actually saw it.

-§-

As the weeks passed, Sara began to prove herself to Felicity. A month after she had joined the team, the two of them had formed an understanding of sorts and they more than tolerated one another. They worked together and Sara kept back her demeaning comments about Roy and Felicity being wolves and somewhere along the line, they started respecting each other.

Felicity had to admit that it had been awkward in the beginning, but as the days passed, things got easier between them. She wouldn’t go as far as to say that Sara was her best friend, but there was some kind of partnership there at least. Tommy had been dropping into the Foundry between meetings, but Thea still hadn’t been allowed to come around. Felicity had taken to teaching the younger woman more about computers to keep her from complaining about not being welcomed back into the lair for such a long time. Oliver had been teaching her self-defense too whenever he could spare a moment and that was the main reason that Thea hadn’t just come barging down into the lair. Besides, both Thea and Oliver had been very busy with their mother’s trial that would be coming up soon. They had met with Laurel almost every day to discuss the various routes and options they had. Felicity could practically feel the tension rolling off of Oliver after every meeting, but he had taken to training with Diggle again, which was calming him down some.

There was still a lot of tension between Felicity and Oliver though. They kept walking the thin line between being partners and knowing that there had almost been something more. Felicity would sometimes catch Oliver watching her from a distance, but she couldn’t exactly say anything to him about it since she had been staring at him too. Besides, ever since they got back from Russia, she had been having trouble sleeping.

Her nights were long and drawn out with nightmares. She felt trapped inside of them, lucid enough to know that they weren’t real, but haunted by things that she knew that she had experienced. They were all from her time in captivity, though, some were more blurred than others and she couldn’t always make sense of them when she woke up in cold sweat.

Roy had been distancing himself from her too. Well, he had been distancing himself as much as he could, by blocking her from reaching his mind during the full moon that had been and gone. She knew that he was upset with her for not speaking to Oliver about the mate-bond that he was convinced that the two of them shared, but Felicity wasn’t ready to face that yet.

Things down in the Foundry were still tense between Oliver and Roy as well. Diggle and Tommy had also been disappointed with what Oliver had done back in Russia, but Felicity had told them all that she didn’t want her and Oliver’s personal issues to disrupt them when they worked together. So far, things had been going okay, but she could see the guilt that Oliver still carried on his shoulders whenever his eyes connected with hers.

A bit more than a month had passed since Sara had joined them but they still hadn’t gotten any new clues regarding the Master. Yes, they had been catching Dark Ones left, right and center, but none of the wolves that they had confined had had any information to share regarding the mastermind behind the operation. It frustrated Felicity so much that she just wanted to get out on the streets on her own and try to find something. She felt as if she was missing a great piece of the equation and that it was all just hidden under the surface, somewhere deep inside her mind. There was no way for her to put her finger on it, but she knew that there was something blocking her thoughts.

To top it all off, they had other problems at hand too. There had been an attack at the airport a couple of days back. Civilians had been hurt, although, after that dead Dark Ones had started showing up at every corner of the city it seemed. There were only so many dead bodies that the SCPD could cover before the word got out and Felicity knew from keeping in constant contact with Detective Lance that things were only going to get worse.

-§-

“I did a facial scan on the mysterious woman at the airport but so far, no results,” Felicity said.

Oliver sighed frustratedly, running a hand through his hair as he crossed his arms. Things couldn’t by any means get any more complicated in his life at the moment. The only good thing that had happened this past week was that Sara and Felicity had formed some kind of understanding. They weren’t exactly inseparable best friends, but they tolerated one another and didn’t argue all the time. In fact, from what Oliver could see, there seemed to be some kind of understanding between the two. It seemed like Sara had understood that not all Dark Ones were out to get one. Oliver figured that one of the reasons that the two of them had gotten closer was also because Thea could no longer come to the Foundry since Oliver didn’t want her knowing about Sara being alive. It was complicated and it all gave him a headache, but he knew he had to deal with it on his own because he was the one who was complicating things further.

He looked over at Felicity, his chest feeling empty as he took her in. She was looking over at Sara, but she wasn’t speaking and he wondered what she was thinking about. He missed her and he wished that he hadn’t gone and ruined things between them like he had. If he hadn’t, she would most likely be talking to him right now instead of just keeping quiet. A part of him wondered if the two of them giving their friendship another go would actually work, but he knew that he needed to stay hopeful on the matter. Still, it was difficult considering that he  _ knew  _ how much he had hurt her feelings. He was torn between wanting to be with her and wanting to protect her from himself, but at the same time he knew that he couldn’t live without her anymore.

“Why don’t you go home, Oliver?” Felicity suggested. He looked at her curiously, not really understanding why she wanted him to leave now. It was still early. “Go home, have dinner with Thea and Roy. I’ll give you a call if something turns up since I have nothing better to do anyway.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Felicity nodded, “Yeah. Besides, Sara’s here too, so if something happens, she can head out on the streets.”

Oliver wasn’t sure if he was making the right decision, but he knew that he had to trust Felicity’s judgment. Finally he gave in and nodded. “Okay, but I want an update every half-hour.”

“I’ll send you a text every hour and that’s the only update you’ll be getting,” Felicity said sternly. “Go spend time with your sister. Think about something else for a while. You clearly need it.”

-§-

After managing to get Oliver to leave, Felicity turned to Sara. She had seen the look on Sara’s face when she had showed her and Oliver the security footage of the woman who had attacked the people at the airport. Deep down, Felicity could tell that Sara knew more about it than she was letting on.

“So?” Felicity questioned, turning around in her seat to look at the other blonde. “Are you going to say anything now that it’s just the two of us here?”

Sara raised an eyebrow at her, looking confused before her mouth drew up in a small smirk. “What’s up with all this tension between you and Oliver?” Sara wondered bluntly, making Felicity pause.

“There’s no tension,” Felicity said, but she knew that it was a lie.

“Oh, yes there is,” Sara stated. “In fact, it seems to be quite sexual as well.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing like that going on. Oliver is just my partner,” she said. “We’re partners, nothing more.”

“Partners are supposed to trust one another,” Sara said. “I can see that you’re reluctant in every way when it comes to him, just as he is careful with you.”

“I…” Felicity trailed off, hating how the conversation that she had tried to direct at Sara has somehow turned back on her again. “I believe in Oliver and what he does. That should be enough for now. I’m trying to be better, but it isn’t easy to let go,” she confessed.

Sara looked at her seriously, “Did Oliver pull an ‘Ollie’ on you?”

For the first time in a long while, Felicity let out a laugh, “You could say that, I suppose.” She looked at Sara who looked apologetic. Felicity figured that it was because she too had been treated badly by Oliver in the past. Still, it was in the past and Felicity knew that Oliver had changed deep down. He wasn’t the playboy that people had known him as before and she knew, deep in her heart, that he had really meant it when he had apologized to her. The two of them would just need time to fall back into their old ways and she would have to keep herself from thinking about him in any way other than friendship. It wouldn’t be easy considering that the thoughts had already been implanted in her mind, but she had to try.

“Anyway, I don’t want to talk about Oliver and me right now,” Felicity said, shaking her head at her thoughts as she changed the subject. Sara looked at her curiously, but Felicity could see that it was all pretense. The woman clearly knew that Felicity had seen her reaction when she showed them the security footage earlier. “You know that woman, don’t you?”

Sara was silent for a while, staring right at Felicity, her face carefully impassive. Felicity wasn’t going to back down though. She knew what she had seen. There had been a flash of something in Sara’s eyes, something which Felicity had seen a couple of times over the years. It was the look that someone had on their face when they unexpectedly saw someone they cared for.

Someone they loved.

Sara sighed, “Her name is Nyssa Al Ghul. You’re not going to find that name in any database though. She’s part of the League.”

“The League of Shadows,” Felicity noted, breathing out slowly as she tried to make sense of it all.

“Shadows, assassins, what does it matter?” Sara asked. “It’s the League I work for and I didn’t exactly ask for medical leave when I came here to Starling.”

“Can you do that? Ask for medical leave…?” she trailed off when Sara gave her a look. “Never mind,” she muttered. “But you’re saying she’s here because of you?”

Sara nodded, her posture tense. Felicity wondered if a part of her blamed herself for what had happened at the airport.

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Felicity asked. “We would have known what we’re dealing with and maybe we could have figured out something together.”

“And say what? That the woman I love has come looking for me and that she’ll tear the city apart until she finds me?” Sara wondered.

“Oh, so this is a crazy-girlfriend-kind-of-thing,” Felicity said. “First of all, I didn’t know you were swinging that way, but it’s a pleasant surprise. Secondly, do you have any way to contact her?”

“Nyssa isn’t crazy,” Sara said. “If anything, she’s the most reasonable assassin in the League.”

“Okay, but still,” Felicity rolled her eyes. “On to my second question: Can you contact her somehow?”

Sara looked at her suspiciously, “Why?”

Felicity didn’t know whether she should be honest or not. She’d heard things about the League and what they did to Dark Ones that crossed their path. They were made up stories about an organization that was so corrupted within itself that it tried to make itself out to be the good guys. The stories were about everything, from whole cities being destroyed to legends of mysterious waters… Felicity wasn’t sure what to believe since most of it sounded like fiction. Then again, werewolves and vampires weren’t considered to be real either, and yet here she was, a mixture of both.

“I’ve heard about what the League can do,” Felicity started carefully.

“Then you should be looking the other way, not trying to set up a meeting with the Demon’s daughter,” Sara pressed.

“Is it true that they used to work with witches?” Felicity asked, ignoring Sara’s look of concern. “That they have potions and things like that?”

“This isn’t Harry Potter, Felicity,” Sara deadpanned. “The League has had dabbling with witches, but since they went underground, they no longer do. Why are you asking this?”

“I’ve been having nightmares,” Felicity finally admitted. “When Malcolm Merlyn set off his sound device, I… I had these  _ visions. _ ”

“Visions?” Sara repeated. “Why are  _ you  _ saying this  _ now? _ Does Oliver know?”

“I couldn’t talk to him about it because then it would have become a thing. After everything else that happened between the two of us, we hardly needed  _ another thing _ ,” Felicity said. “I wasn’t sure what it was in the beginning, but I’m sure it’s just under the surface. I can’t reach it though. I’ve tried.”

“Suppressed memories,” Sara said. “From what?”

“My time in captivity,” Felicity told her. “Everything about that is a big blur to me. There are pieces missing, I know it.”

Sara looked at her again and Felicity was starting to get tired of all the silent thinking.

“I can get a hold of Nyssa,” Sara finally nodded. “But if you want to meet with her, you’re going to have to stand behind me. She isn’t very welcoming when she senses that someone is a Dark One.”

“You think she’ll stab me?” Felicity asked with an uneasy chuckle.

Sara stared at her, “Do you remember when  _ I  _ met you the first time?”

Felicity’s smile dropped as she nodded. “Okay,” she said, “I’ll stay behind you.”

-§-

It wasn’t even that late when they stepped into Big Belly Burger. If someone would have told Felicity that Sara would manage to get a hold of her girlfriend and get her to agree to come to a fast food restaurant in less than an hour, she would have probably laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

What was even more ridiculous was the sight of Nyssa though, sitting calmly in one of the booths with her hands clasped over the table, a box of fries in front of her. Felicity’s phone sounded and she took it out quickly. Oliver had texted her, asking her where she was and she replied with that she had to go home with Sara to get a change of clothes quickly. It wasn’t a complete lie since they had stopped by her place to get Sara something to wear as a disguise. The other blonde was currently donning a wig that Felicity had bought on Halloween to mess with Roy and it looked moderately real under the trucker-hat she had over her head.

When she looked up again, she saw Nyssa and Sara embracing. The other woman looked like she hadn’t been sleeping for a while and for just the fraction of a second, all that tension in her seemed to have melted away when she had Sara in her arms. It didn’t last long though, because when she opened her eyes again, her eyes settled on Felicity and with the fire burning in them, Felicity almost reacted by taking a step back.

Sara had told her not to show weakness and to keep her head high. They had talked about how things would go down and Felicity could see Sara tightening her grip on Nyssa. Felicity’s eyes moved down and she saw that Nyssa was holding a dagger in her hand. It was sticking out from inside her coat, but as Sara whispered to her, she tucked it inside her sleeve again.

Felicity breathed out, trying to remain focused on her surroundings. The two women pulled apart and Sara motioned for Felicity to step forward.

“Why don’t we sit down?” she suggested, looking from Nyssa to Felicity.

Felicity nodded at her, not taking her eyes off of Nyssa who slowly sat down again, taking one of her fries and putting it in her mouth. Sara sat down next, opposite Nyssa and Felicity took her place next to her in the booth.

“What is the meaning of this, Sara?” Nyssa asked and Felicity was surprised by the hostility in her tone for a moment. Then she realized that she was glaring at Felicity while speaking to Sara, so maybe her tone wasn’t so surprising after all. “You run away from the League, from  _ me _ , and then I find you with a Dark One? A hybrid, nonetheless.”

“Felicity isn’t like the others, Nyssa,” Sara said calmly. “It took me a while to see it, but you have to trust me on this.”

“They are all the same,” Nyssa insisted, her voice dark as she narrowed her eyes. “The League tried to control wolves before, but it didn’t work. They were savages hundreds of years ago and are still savages today.”

“Wolves are not meant to be controlled,” Felicity said, a growl escaping her despite her trying to stay calm. “The ones that I’ve known over the years have all integrated themselves in the human world. We were  _ fine. _ ”

“You are no wolf, though,” Nyssa stated. “Not anymore.”

“I was turned against my will,” Felicity told her. “I didn’t want to be what I am.”

For some reason, this made Nyssa pause. Her gaze moved to Sara who stayed silent as she nodded her confirmation.

“This is a first,” Nyssa admitted. “I’ve never heard a hybrid say that they didn’t want to be turned.”

“Well, I can bet that you never heard one out long enough to hear their story,” Felicity muttered.

Nyssa smirked, “Your bluntness amuses me.”

Felicity leaned forward, over the table, “It’s not meant for your amusement, it’s the truth.”

Nyssa eyed her for another moment. “Why are you here, little wolf?” she asked. “Why did Sara set up this meeting?”

Felicity looked at Sara then, silently asking her to help her. The woman bit her lip and turned to Nyssa. “I have been helping Felicity and her team try to look for the one they call the Master,” she said. “Felicity escaped from him after being turned. She’s been trying to piece together everything that she knows, but it’s been difficult for her.”

“The Master?” Nyssa frowned. “That is not the first time I’ve heard the name.”

“You know who he is?” Felicity’s eyes brightened.

“No,” Nyssa shook her head. “There have been whispers though, about a hybrid army being built in secret.”

“Why hasn’t the League tried to intervene then?” Felicity asked. “Why haven’t you done anything to stop it?”

“Starling City is one of the few places the League considers to be a lost cause,” Nyssa admitted. “After the Undertaking, the city has become a hotspot for Dark Ones. If the League were to intervene now, we’d just even the city with the ground and let the humans rebuild.”

“Kill thousands of innocents?” Felicity stared. “I thought you were supposed to protect mankind, not destroy it.”

“The organization has been corrupted,” Sara stated, sounding unimpressed. “Nowadays, it’s more about killing Dark Ones, no matter the price. No one cares about humanity anymore.”

“We’re falling off topic,” Nyssa said, sounding irritated. “What exactly do you want me to do? I had to convince my father to let me come here to bring Sara back. He wanted to send other League-members after her, but I knew they would just kill her. The longer I stay here, the more people he will send and the more people he sends, the bigger the risk of him learning just how bad Starling City has gotten.”

They were clearly running out of time here. If the League did come to Starling City, Felicity was sure that there would be no way to save the city.

“My memories of my time in captivity,” Felicity said. “I need them.”

Nyssa frowned again. “Your memories have been suppressed? Taken from you?” she questioned.

“I don’t know,” Felicity said. “All I know is that the Undertaking triggered something inside of me. I saw things that I can’t remember fully and I need to know what happened to me when I was turned.”

“You think you’ve been compelled,” Nyssa realized, voicing the thoughts that Felicity hadn’t wanted to admit to herself.

“Maybe,” she said.

Nyssa took another fry and put it in her mouth, pushing the box toward Felicity who looked at it hesitantly. “I might have something that can help you remember,” Nyssa said. “It’s a drinkable truth serum that the League uses when interrogating people. It comes from a desert flower with no name, but it’s effective.”

“But if Felicity has been compelled…” Sara frowned, trailing off.

“I don’t know for sure what would happen, but if it’s your only lead, it might be worth the risk,” Nyssa said. “It would put you in a state between consciousness and sleep, letting you reach down in your subconscious to find your answers.”

“It would be dangerous. Painful even,” Sara said and Felicity could hear it in her voice that she didn’t like the idea.

“I would agree to lead you through it and not cause you any harm if Sara agrees to return to the League with me,” Nyssa told Felicity. “I’d give you my word.”

Felicity bit her lip, closing her eyes. If this really was the only way to find out the truth, what choice did she have? She knew what she had to do, but she needed to tell Oliver too before agreeing to it.

“Sara?” she asked, looking at the other blonde.

“I don’t know, Felicity,” she said. “I have to return to the League either way, but this has to be your choice.”

Felicity looked at Nyssa again, worry and dread seeping through her when she thought about what she’d have to do.

-§-

Felicity wished he would say something. In fact, she wished anyone would say anything, but Diggle, Roy and Tommy were just staring at her, just as Oliver was. Although, Diggle, Roy and Tommy’s expressions were more looks of concern, whereas Oliver looked more pissed than he had ever looked before.

She had called an emergency meeting in the lair and she hadn’t wasted any time to tell them what she and Sara had been up to. She wasn’t sure whether it was the fact that she was thinking about taking Nyssa’s serum that had Oliver angry, or if it was her going behind his back with Sara and meeting with Nyssa in the first place.

“I don’t know what to say,” Roy admitted, but Felicity could sense that he didn’t like the idea of her taking  _ anything  _ to remember.

“You’ve been getting visions and you haven’t said anything about it?” Tommy questioned.

“Well, it’s more like memory flashes, but-”

“Does it even  _ matter? _ ” Oliver snapped, interrupting her. Felicity turned to him, lips pressed together. “How could you go off and meet with a member of the League just like that? Without telling anyone?”

“I was with Sara,” Felicity said, annoyance building in her. “We need to focus on the important thing here. Nyssa has agreed to help me if I take the serum. We can finally get the answers that we’ve been looking for, Oliver!”

“We don’t know that!” Oliver countered, stepping toward her. “We don’t know if this is just a ploy to kill you! Nyssa clearly doesn’t like Nightcrawlers and unfortunately, in her eyes, you are one!”

“She gave me her word,” Felicity said, eyes glowing. “Sara promised that she’d go with her if she helps me. Nyssa has nothing to gain from killing me because she knows that Sara considers me a friend!”

Oliver stepped into her space, but she wasn’t going to back down. She could sense that everyone else in the room was starting to get nervous.

“Oliver, we might need to think about this,” Diggle said, trying to stand between them.

“I am not willing to risk your life, Felicity,” Oliver said.

“But I want to do it and the final decision should be mine,” Felicity said. “I’ve told you so many times now that we’re supposed to work as a team. If you want to earn my trust back, you need to trust me too!”

“I do trust you,” Oliver growled at her. “I trust you with my life, but I don’t  _ want  _ you to risk yours for something that’s not even a certain way to get answers!”

“There’s still a chance, Oliver,” Felicity said, voice softening. She took a step toward him, acting on instinct as she cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look into her eyes. For a moment, she forgot that everyone else was in the foundry with them. “If there’s even the smallest of chances that we’ll get a lead, we have to do this.” Oliver stared at her and she could feel the tension rolling off of him. He was angry and upset, the worst combination for him, but she had to make him see.

Tommy cleared his throat, “Sorry to tell you this, but this has to be a team vote, I think. We should vote on it and then Felicity will know our opinion, but then she can decide what to do because it’s her brain after all.”

Oliver placed his hands over Felicity’s and began shaking his head. He pulled away from her and Felicity was left staring at him as he took a step away from her.

“I’ve said what I’ve had to say,” Oliver told her. “I don’t want you to do this.”

Felicity looked at him, swallowing thickly. She hated not having his support on this, but what else could she do than turn to the others? Roy slowly shook his head when he met her eyes and she could see that he was actually ashamed of disagreeing with his alpha.

“It’s a risk,” Diggle said. “It should be up to you, but I’m actually with Oliver on this one. We have no guarantees that it will work.”

Felicity shook her head at them all because it didn’t matter what they said. Even if she got Tommy on her side, no one else wanted her to do this and she would be going against everybody else if she did it. 

But she didn’t have a choice. She knew it and when she looked over at Sara who had remained silent through it all, she saw that the other blonde knew it too.

“I need some air,” Felicity said, shaking her head as she pushed past them.

“Felicity-” Roy started, but he flinched back when Felicity turned to him with her eyes glowing golden, canine teeth glimmering as she growled at him.

“ _ Stay _ ,” she ordered and the young man lowered his head like a child that was being reprimanded.

Felicity walked out of the Foundry and into the parking lot, breathing in the cool night air as she tried to clear her head. She heard someone step up behind her and she took a deep breath again, recognizing Sara’s scent.

“I understand that you feel like you might not have a choice in this,” Sara said, “but you need to think things through. Your team is right.”

“It’s been months, Sara,” Felicity said. “I’ve been here for over a year and we haven’t learned anything yet. We thought it was Malcolm because my memories were messed up. We were lead down the wrong path because of me.”

“And now it’s only right you correct it, isn’t it?” Sara said. “Is that what this is all about? You feeling like less of a screw-up because someone messed with your memories?”

“I need to know what they did to me,” Felicity hissed, turning to look at the other blonde. “Do you know what it feels like? To know that they did something to me but not being able to remember? It’s all messing with my head and I  _ need _ to know, Sara.”

A couple of moments passed in silence. Sara crossed her arms, turning away from her. “You’ve already made up your mind,” Sara stated and Felicity didn’t have to say anything.

The look she gave Sara just confirmed her thoughts.

-§-

Oliver removed his jacket, feeling heavy. He had finally made it back to the mansion but anger was still running through his veins. He was worried about Felicity, who had disappeared, but he knew that she needed a moment to cool down. Sara had gone after her to check on her and he had forced himself to fight the urge to follow her too. He wouldn’t be very helpful considering that he was still upset that Felicity would even think about taking that truth serum that Nyssa Al Ghul of all people had offered her.

He knew that his and Felicity’s relationship had been messed up since Russia, but it angered him more than anything that she hadn’t talked to him about all of this before. Why was he only now finding out that she suspected that someone might have used compulsion on her to keep her memories locked up? What kind of a Dark One would one have to be in order to have such a powerful ability?

He remembered what Felicity had told him about compelling people. She had never had the ability, apparently, and sometimes she even believed it to be a myth. Yet, it would be the only explanation for how she wasn’t able to remember all the details about being captured. They had always just assumed that it was because she had been in and out of consciousness, but maybe there really was more to it?

Oliver removed his shirt and then laid back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He almost wished that he could have thought logically about all of this, but when it came to Felicity, he no longer could. His feelings for her ran deep and he wasn’t willing to risk her life, especially not when he might not be able to do anything to help her.

Thunder sounded outside and he could hear the rain as it began pouring down. Lightning illuminated the room for a few seconds and then the lights went out. He blinked a couple of times, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Thea was already asleep and he was sure the power was just acting up because of the storm.

He listened to the rain, the tapping against the window…

Oliver paused, frowning.

_ Tap, tap. Knock, knock. _

He sat up straight and turned toward the balcony door, just as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. On the other side of the glass, he could see Sara in her suit, hair plastered to her face as she knocked on the door to get his attention. Oliver stood and hurried to the balcony, his stomach already dropping as he pulled on his shirt and his jacket again. There was only one reason Sara would come here and risk being seen by Thea.

“What happened?” Oliver asked hurriedly as he let Sara in.

“Felicity did it,” Sara said. “She went to meet Nyssa at the clock tower and she took the serum.”

Oliver’s heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the woman in front of him. He wanted to scream at her for letting Felicity take the damn thing, but he knew that there was nothing to do now. He had to be with Felicity. He had to watch over her in any way that he could.

“I’ll take my bike and meet you down the road,” Oliver told Sara as he grabbed his keys, hurrying down to the garage.

As he drove through the gates, he was already soaked to the bone, but he could only think about getting to Felicity as fast as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh... What has our lovely hybrid gotten herself into now? Well, good news is that the next chapter most likely won't be very long, which means that I'll hopefully get it out soon! I have an exam on Friday though, so I won't be able to write much until the weekend. You can find me on twitter if you have any questions or just need to talk (Sugar_Pepper666). I'm also on tumblr (author123456).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if there were any mistakes in there, I'm sorry, because I didn't really have time to read through it since I just wanted to post it. (I've been live-tweeting all night as I've been writing. So I apologize to the ones who suffered while I wrote, like, ten pages!) Comments are always golden and appreciated! :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and supporting me! xx


	23. The Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things were never really as they seemed, but the truth always comes out, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another update! See, comments really do fuel my muse! ;) Hehe, okay, bad joke. No but seriously, hang in there and thank you for all the support I've gotten so far on this fic! I hope you enjoy this emotion-fest that I'm throwing at you! :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 23: The Memories**

 

Thunder sounded over the city. People honked their car-horns as they tried to make their way through the streets without accident, even though it was already way past midnight. Oliver thought of all the dangers that lurked in the shadows for a moment but his focus quickly shifted back to what was most important:  _ Felicity. _

Lightning flashed across the sky, momentarily blinding him as rain poured down on him, running below his clothes, chilling his body to his very core. He couldn’t think about how damn freezing it was, with the wind picking up as he sped through the streets of the city, trying to get to the clock tower as fast as possible.

He hadn’t given Sara any time to explain why she had come to him. All he knew was that Felicity had gone against the team’s wishes and taken the serum. Oliver thought about calling Diggle and the others, but decided against it, hoping that he would be able to handle whatever it was that was thrown his way when he got to the old tower.

His heart was beating loudly in his chest, pounding against its cage and his breathing was ragged. He remembered how he had felt during his first couple of days on Lian Yu, out of breath and out of hope, and he couldn’t help but feel the same way now as he parked his bike in the alley. Sara was right behind him, directing him up the secret passageway to the top of the tower. Oliver swallowed thickly as she walked him to the room and stopped right outside of the door, turning to look at him expectantly, holding something out for him to take.

Oliver looked at the item in Sara’s hand, recognizing it as a mask but he just shook his head and pushed past her. He couldn’t be bothered with concealing his identity from Nyssa Al Ghul. All he could think about was reaching Felicity and seeing that she was okay.

He entered the room and instantly he paused. Felicity was in the middle of the room, laying on what looked to be a medical-bed, similar to the one they had in the Foundry. She was wearing a tanktop and a pair of sports shorts, her eyes closed and her face pale. He could see small tremors running through her body every other second and he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening to her other than the fact that she was clearly unconscious.

His feet felt heavy as he walked up to her. Nyssa, who had been standing right next to Felicity, looking down at the blonde who seemed to be glowing every time lightning illuminated the room, turned her gaze to him instead. She had lit candles all around them and Oliver wasn’t sure if it was all part of the ritual, but he figured it might be. Still, he dragged himself toward Felicity and stood above her for only a second. His eyes settled on her chest, his blood running cold for just a moment before his heart began pounding away again.

She was still breathing, he realized. Her chest moved up and down slowly, it was barely noticeable, but it was there. He didn’t comprehend fully what he did next. All he felt was pain as his knees hit the concrete floor and he reached for Felicity’s hand, which was pale, clammy and cold to the touch. He grasped her fingers, running his own between hers and closed his eyes as his throat closed up, the helpless emotion welling up inside of him again.

-§-

_ Everything was so peaceful. The wind picked up a bit, making her golden locks swirl. Felicity laughed, brushing back her hair as she leaned back against the tree. The young ones were running in the field, their parents preparing dinner. She had finally found herself a pack where she felt like she belonged. _

_ It was a sunny afternoon and the first real day of Spring. The pack had decided to celebrate by having a barbecue. Felicity was still new, so she was told to keep an eye on the kids while the others prepared the food and set the table. There were about fifteen of them, but most weren’t wolves at all. With Felicity, there were about seven wolves in total. The others were either human mates or children who hadn’t turned yet. _

_ Everything was calm. Felicity watched the kids before briefly turning her eyes to the grass. There in front of her, was a flower that she couldn’t remember having seen before. She frowned as the winds blew stronger, reaching for the blossom. _

_ Something whizzed through the air and Felicity looked up just in time to see one of the mates collapse. A second passed, Felicity’s eyes locked on the arrow sticking out of the woman’s forehead, her eyes glazed over. Another moment and then screams and cries erupted all around her. She stood, running toward the children on instinct, tears falling from her eyes as she watched them all be slaughtered one by one. Twenty hunters came out of the woods, from all directions, forcing them into a tight circle. It took her a moment to realize that they were only killing the humans. The wolves were being rounded up in the middle. _

_ Felicity took a hold of the youngest child, Jimmy, and growled at the two hunters who were pointing their guns at them. She hid Jimmy behind herself, and the little boy was crying, clutching her leg just as one of the hunters shot her. She winced, instantly feeling dizzy. Looking down, she saw the small dart sticking out of her arm. She tore it away from her body, reaching for Jimmy again, but everything was turning blurry. _

_ She fell into the grass and the last thing she saw were yellow eyes boring into hers, making her realize that the people who had attacked weren’t hunters after all. _

_ They were something much worse. _

-§-

Oliver held her hand tightly, his stomach feeling heavy. His heart beat loudly inside his chest as he pressed Felicity’s hand against his forehead. She was so cold that he almost shivered. He pulled her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss first to her open palm and then continuing to her fingertips.

She had to wake up.

There was no alternative.

Within all the emotions that were inside of him, he felt anger once again build up. This would have never happened if Nyssa hadn’t told her about the serum. He wanted to turn around and tell the League-member as much, but before he could, the tremors running through Felicity’s body became worse. All of the sudden, her whole body started shaking and Oliver jumped back as he felt a sting on his palm. He looked down and saw that Felicity had extended her claws, straight into his palm. He was bleeding.

“What the hell is happening to her?” Oliver snapped at Nyssa, standing up so that he could hold down her body.

“Just keep holding her down, Mr. Queen,” Nyssa said, hurrying to the table and pulling out some restraint. Oliver’s eyes widened as the woman proceeded to tie Felicity to the table. Oliver looked at Felicity, seeing that her face was scrunched up in pain. It reminded him all too much of the night of the Undertaking and he felt helpless because there was nothing he could do.

“Felicity,” Oliver said, leaning down closer to her. She kept shaking and he held her down, but it was getting worse. A part of him wondered whether she’d wake up suddenly and attack him, but he had to trust her. “Felicity, please… You’re safe… I’m here, I swear, I’m here,” he continued, hoping that she could hear the sincerity in his voice. His throat felt too thick, as if tears were blocking him from properly speaking.

“Your pleas will do her no good…” Nyssa’s angry tone trailed off as the seizures let up. Oliver kept staring at Felicity’s face, not sure what was going to happen next. He glanced toward Nyssa and Sara. He saw the confusion written on their faces. It was clear that neither of them had expected him to get through to Felicity. Quite frankly, he was in a bit of a shock himself.

“Tell me what happened,” he demanded, trying to cool his anger that was once again rearing it’s ugly head as his worry faded.

“She took the serum willingly,” Sara explained, her arms crossed. “I tried talking her out of it, but you  _ know  _ how she can be when she makes a decision.”

“She isn’t unreasonable,” Oliver spat. “If she had known how dangerous-”

“Trust me, Mr. Queen, I informed your little wolf of what she was getting herself into,” Nyssa said. “I even allowed her to take my scent, so that she would know I wasn’t lying.”

“So what now?” Oliver asked before turning to Sara. “Why did you leave her here alone? She’s a  _ fucking  _ member of the League. They are  _ hunters _ , Sara!”

“Felicity would have wanted to have you here,” Sara said. “And I trust Nyssa.”

“I don’t!” Oliver snapped again. He was breathing heavily and he felt a rush of something run through his body. “We have to wake her up.”

“We can’t,” Nyssa said, stepping toward him. Her stance was threatening and Oliver straightened, glaring down at her. “Felicity is now in a state similar to hypnosis. Her mind is moving through her subconscious, looking through her memories trying to find some kind of clue as to what happened to her when she was captured,” she explained, looking serious now. 

“If we try to wake her up, Oliver, she might never wake up again,” Sara said.

Oliver’s heart clenched painfully again. He lifted his hand, wanting to run it through his hair when he noticed the blood there. He had completely forgotten that Felicity had cut him accidentally for a second. The blood trickled up his arm, painting his forearm red and he slowly lowered his hand again.

“Let me help you clean that,” Sara said quietly. “It’s the least I could do…”

Oliver wanted to protest but he knew that he didn’t have it in him anymore. He just wanted Felicity to be okay and if he did something which put her at risk, he would never be able to live with himself. As he passed Nyssa, he stopped again, glaring at her, “If anything happens to Felicity, I’ll make sure you don’t last a breath longer than she does.”

He pushed past the woman, following Sara who motioned for him to sit down in a chair. She walked away momentarily to get some bandages and Oliver kept his eyes firmly on Felicity who was breathing slowly.

“I have to admit, Mr. Queen, I saw the same ferocity in your little wolf during our first meeting,” Nyssa spoke up suddenly. “A trait which is not uncommon when it comes to mates protecting one another.”

Oliver turned to her, startled. He stared at her, wondering just how much this stranger knew about him and Felicity. They didn’t even know anything themselves yet… In fact, Felicity probably didn’t even know that Roy had talked to Oliver about what he suspected might be going on between them.

“Felicity and I aren’t… We’re not mates,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Nyssa. The woman looked amused though and only shook her head, as if what he was saying was the silliest thing she had ever heard. “We’re  _ not _ ,” Oliver insisted, but deep down, he felt as if something inside of him was telling him that he was lying.

Nyssa opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Sara re-entered the room with a bandage. “I left it in the other room,” she said. “I had forgotten where it was since I practically moved into the Foundry…” She proceeded to clean the wounds, washing away the blood. Oliver could clearly see the marks that Felicity’s claws had left behind and it seemed like the cuts were a bit deeper than they had first anticipated.

“I might have to do stitches,” Sara said. “Just a few so that the wounds don’t re-open… It might scar,” she told him.

“Got plenty of those,” he said. “A few more small ones aren’t going to kill me.”

“Felicity… She’ll feel bad about all of this when she wakes up,” Sara continued.

Oliver nodded slowly, “It isn’t her fault though. She couldn’t help it.”

They were talking in hushed voices so that Nyssa wouldn’t hear, but he was pretty sure that the huntress was focusing on Felicity at the moment by the way that she was looking at her.

“I’m sorry, Oliver,” Sara sighed. “If I hadn’t set up that first meeting with Nyssa… I should have done something to stop her.”

Oliver looked down at his hand as Sara finished stitching him up. She cleaned it again and then wrapped his hand in a bandage quickly. He wanted to tell her that it was okay because deep down he knew that Felicity wouldn’t have stopped pushing. She wanted answers and he only hoped that she would wake up from all of this with them.

“What happened happened,” Oliver said. “We can’t change it now. We just have to hope that she’ll wake up again.”

Sara reached for his good hand and squeezed gently, looking him in the eyes, “I know she will. She’s strong. Stronger than I ever gave her credit for.”

Oliver started to reply, but was interrupted when he heard a low mumble. He twisted around and looked toward Felicity again. Her head moved slowly from one side to the other and her lips were moving, but no words were coming out. Instantly, he stood up and hurried to stand by her side again as Nyssa pulled a chair closer to the bed so that she could sit by Felicity’s head.

“What’s she saying?” Oliver asked, leaning closer to Felicity.

“Nothing yet, just incoherent mumbling,” Nyssa said. “She’s still walking through it all. Soon I’ll be able to guide her through the maze of her own mind.”

Felicity gasped then, her mouth falling open as she stopped moving. Oliver went cold, “What is going on?”

“She’s reached the place that she was looking for,” Nyssa said. “She’s been captured, most likely.”

“What do you mean, ‘captured’?” Oliver frowned.

Nyssa glanced at him before looking at Felicity again. “She’s gone back to when the Master’s men first captured her and her pack,” she explained. “She’s living through her memories.”

“Living through?” Oliver asked. “She’s living them  _ again? _ ” Nyssa only nodded.

Oliver remembered the night that Felicity had broken down and told him about the nightmares she was having from the time she was captured. Even back then it had all been hazy to her but she remembered the death of the little boy who had in the end caused her to surrender vividly. If Felicity was really living her memories again, Oliver could only imagine the pain that she would end up going through, at least mentally. He only wished that it wouldn’t also leave too many scars on her soul when she woke up again.

-§-

_ The wind caressed her cheek gently, as if trying to tell her that things would be fine. _

_ What a lie, she thought to herself, her hands grasping the chains that were holding her up. She was prepared now, as she had been every day these last couple of weeks. _

_ “The other subjects didn’t survive the first injection,” one of the men said, “but somehow you did. That means that you’re strong. You’re someone we want on our side.” _

_ Felicity couldn’t open her eyes to look at him. They were talking about her strength when she felt as if she had nothing left. She knew that the rest of her pack was gone. The wolves that had been captured with her hadn’t survived whatever it was that they were giving them and she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to take it either. Her sense of time was destroyed; she felt as if she had been their captive for months, maybe even years. Still, it couldn’t have been more than a week or two at most. _

_ She stayed still as she felt the men approach her. She didn’t move until she felt the sting of the needle piercing her skin. Then, she growled and shook against her restraints, pulling at the chains with everything that she had left. She kicked wildly at one of the men who was knocked over, and when the other guards were called in, she tried to avoid the taser, but to no avail. The electric currents ran through her and she gasped before going limp. Her head fell forward and she screamed inside her own mind when she felt the needle pierce again. _

_ “We need a more permanent fix,” one of the men said. “Who knows how long the dose will actually hold this time around? She needs to turn so that we can evaluate more.” _

_ Another man snickered and she remembered him when he reached up and touched her cheek, pulling her head back by her hair so that he could look into her eyes. “I’ll make her turn,” he said. “She’s going to wish that she had submitted sooner once I’m done with her.” _

-§-

“Felicity,” Nyssa said, her voice low and steady. “Felicity, can you hear me?”

Oliver looked at Felicity who was still mumbling. He reached for her hand again, but Nyssa looked at him sharply, shaking her head. 

He felt Sara’s hand on his shoulder, “You shouldn’t disturb her now.”

Oliver wasn’t sure what he should do. Nyssa continued to speak to Felicity, as if the blonde could actually hear her somehow, but she wasn’t responding so Oliver felt as if he was slowly losing his mind.

“Little wolf,” Nyssa said. “Are you listening?”

Oliver looked up when he heard a small gasp. His eyes zeroed in on Felicity’s mouth which had fallen open.

“Yes…”

It was a whisper so low that Oliver wasn’t sure that he had heard it at first. Then he saw Felicity swallow, and his heart soared, “Yes, I’m listening.”

She sounded lost, as if she wasn’t really there. As if she was hearing Nyssa through a haze and that she wasn’t entirely certain who she was talking to. Oliver stood up from the chair he was sitting on and looked at them, but Nyssa held up her hand to stop him from coming closer. Instead, she leaned down towards Felicity.

“Where are you, Felicity?” Nyssa asked.

Felicity’s eyebrows furrowed, “I don’t know.”

“Look around,” Nyssa insisted. “Tell me what you see.”

Oliver watched as Felicity’s face contorted, as if she was in pain. “I’m in a cell. It’s cold here…” Felicity trailed off.

“Are you alone?” Nyssa questioned again.

“They left a while ago,” Felicity told her.

“Who are they?”

Felicity paused for a good while, as if thinking about what her answer should be. Oliver waited, holding his breath hoping that she would be able to identify someone at least so that they could get a lead on the Master. However, that was only secondary now because he wanted nothing more than for Felicity to wake up again.

“Winnick Norton is one of them,” Felicity finally replied. “I don’t know the names of the others. They work for  _ Him _ , though.” She winced, “It burns.”

Nyssa nodded slowly, “What is burning you, little wolf?”

“The… The  _ thing  _ they injected me with,” Felicity said, once again not sounding sure. “It isn’t the first time… His blood is in the vial too, I think.”

“What’s on your mind now? What are you thinking?” Nyssa asked.

“They said they would need a permanent fix… That it wasn’t working how they wanted it to…” Felicity trailed off again. Suddenly, she grasped the sides of the table and started struggling against her restraints again. “No, no! Leave him alone! He’s just a child!”

Oliver threw himself over Felicity’s body, holding her down as Nyssa walked around the table and held her head, forcing her to stay still. Oliver saw blood trickle down the side of Felicity’s face and he realized that her thrashing had caused her to injure herself on the metal table. Sara walked around the table, checking her restraints so that they hadn’t torn. Oliver looked at Felicity’s face just as a tear rolled down her cheek and she went limp again.

“They killed him…” Felicity whispered. “They killed Jimmy.”

Oliver closed his eyes, remembering the pain in her voice when she had first told him the story. He hated that she was living through it all again and he wished there was something he could do. Still laying half on top of her, Oliver gently squeezed her, hoping that she could feel his embrace.

“Jimmy was already dead, Felicity,” Nyssa told her. Oliver looked at the woman and saw pity in her eyes. It was clear that she felt sorry for Felicity, something which Oliver had not expected at all. “What happened after he died?”

“I turned,” Felicity said, still sounding upset but this time with a hint of anger in her tone. “I wanted to rip them apart for what they did. I wanted to kill them all.”

“Did you do it?” Nyssa wondered. “When you got out, did you slaughter them for what they had done?”

“No,” Felicity shook her head. “I’m not a killer… I’m not a monster.”

Oliver sighed as he stood up again. He looked at Nyssa this time and she looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn’t. Instead, she gave him a short nod, stepping away from Felicity. She looked at him expectantly and Oliver reached for Felicity’s cheek, cupping it gently.

“You’re not a monster, Felicity,” he said, repeating what she had said. “Do you hear me? Do you know who I am?”

Another tear fell from the corner of Felicity’s eye and she drew in a ragged breath. “Oliver,” she breathed out, but she still didn’t open her eyes.

“You wanted answers,” he said, brushing away her tears. “I know it hurts… But you’re not alone. I’m here. I promise, I’ll always be here.”

More tears fell and Felicity sniffled. Oliver leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his own emotions in check. “Tell me what happened next,” he said. “Tell me what happened to you.”

“They weren’t sure I would make it,” she started. “So many had died already. When I survived, they- They wanted to train me. They wanted me to be one of them, but I wouldn’t submit fully. They didn’t understand but they thought there was something wrong with the vial they had injected me with.”

“What was wrong with it?” Oliver asked.

“They didn’t think it would be permanent… They didn’t know how long it was going to last. I was-” she cut herself off abruptly. “I was just an  _ experiment _ .”

“You’re more than that,” Oliver insisted, wanting to comfort her.

“To them I wasn’t,” Felicity said. “They wanted to break me, but couldn’t because I  _ knew  _ the truth.”

“What was the truth, Felicity?” Nyssa stepped in. “What did you know that they didn’t?”

A hint of a smile appeared on Felicity’s face, “That I was a wolf and that they would never be able to fully turn me.”

-§-

_ She was allowed to sit now. _

_ They had taken her to another room after she had turned back into human form. She hadn’t been awake, but she knew that they had bathed her and cleaned her up. The room she was in now looked like some kind of hospital room, but she was certain it wasn’t. _

_ Felicity closed her eyes, hearing her own heart beating in her ears. Good, she thought. It meant that she still had a pulse; she was still herself. _

_ She stood up from her seat and looked at the walls. She was no longer chained up. Turning from one side to the other, she saw a big mirror covering the majority of the wall that had been behind her. Looking at herself, she noticed her pale complexion. She frowned, walking closer to the mirror. She blinked a couple of times, reached out and put her palm flat against the glass. It was cold to the touch, but she could feel something else as well. _

_ Vibrations. _

_ Felicity took a step back and stared at her reflection. There was something behind that mirror, she knew it. Someone was watching her and she twisted around, trying to find a way out, but there was nothing, not even a door. _

_ “What did you do to me?” Felicity asked out loud. Her question echoed in the room and a few seconds later, she heard a small hiss. She looked up, searching for the source of the sound. Her eyes focused on a small device on the ceiling. It looked almost like a security camera, a red light blinking. She stepped forward when she heard the hissing noise again and then she felt something wet on her cheek. _

_ Felicity reached up, touching her cheek. She drew her hand away and saw the red smear, instantly recognizing the coppery smell as blood. Her senses were heightened and goosebumps raised all across her body. She looked at the mirror again, but this time, her eyes weren’t their normal blue color. _

_ They were glowing golden. _

-§-

“What do you see now?” Nyssa asked. It had been a couple of minutes since Felicity had spoken last and neither of them was sure that she was going to do so again. Oliver knew that Nyssa had to try to reach Felicity again because they didn’t want to lose contact with her.

“They think I’m asleep,” Felicity replied. “I’m pretending, but they’re buying it. They’re talking.”

“About what?” Oliver wondered, brushing back some of Felicity’s damp hair. She was still cold to the touch, but she was sweating.

“An Undertaking,” she replied.

Oliver paused and stared at her face for a second. “Is it Malcolm?” he asked, knowing very well that it wouldn’t be.

“No, it’s someone else,” Felicity said. “I can’t see them, but I can hear them… His voice…” She trailed off for a moment. “They knew about Merlyn. They thought he was a fool to think that a simple earthquake would get rid of them. Instead he made the city more vulnerable… An easier target.”

He could see the tension roll through her body suddenly. It looked as if she had tensed up, because she had seen or heard something that she knew hadn’t been meant for her to know.

“He knows I’m awake!” she gasped just before she began shaking again.

“Felicity, no!” Oliver couldn’t help his outburst when her head lolled to the side. Foam was coming out of her mouth and she sounded as if she was choking. He could feel Sara and Nyssa moving around him, taking out some tools, but he couldn’t see what they were doing because his own vision was blurry. “Felicity,  _ please _ !” he begged. “Just wake up, please. I don’t care about the Master, I don’t care about anything! Please just wake up!”

His heart felt as if it was cramping up and he could hardly breathe himself. His shoulders shook and he couldn’t stop himself as he leaned over her again, pressing his face into the crook of her neck as she continued to gasp. “Please, please…” he continued to whisper.

“Oliver,” Sara spoke up behind him and he didn’t understand why she sounded so worried about him all of the sudden. He pulled back just a little and noticed that Felicity had stopped shaking, but there was still a layer of sweat on her body. Her tanktop was completely soaked through and her hair was plastered to her face, sweat mixed with blood. Oliver pulled away from her and turned his back toward them all, wiping at his cheeks furiously. He hadn’t even realized that he was crying, but tears were falling down his cheeks and his shoulders kept shaking with sobs. It wasn’t making any sense; this sudden sadness that came over him. He just wanted Felicity to be okay.

-§-

_ “She doesn’t want to submit,” the man said, his voice deep. Felicity’s vision was blurry and she could still feel his fingers around her throat. She was having trouble breathing but she couldn’t do anything to stop him from squeezing just a little tighter. “She doesn’t have to,” he continued, “but she won’t be remembering anything else either.” _

_ “Master?” _

_ She recognized Winnick Norton’s voice because he had mocked her enough times. She remembered how he had slit Jimmy’s throat and it made her blood boil again. _

_ “We’ll let her go,” the man said. Her vizion began to focus again, but his face was covered by something. She couldn’t see who he was, no matter how hard she tried. “She’ll play her part in all of this eventually, you’ll see. She’ll go to  _ him  _ because everything inside of her is telling her to fight injustice. She’ll be driven by wanting to take me down, but she won’t even know that she’ll be doing everything I want her to do.” _

_ “How is that possible,” Norton questioned. “You’re… You’re compelling her?” _

_ “Only to forget,” the Master replied. “Only to forget the important things. Just let her go, you’ll see. Let her do what she wants and she’ll and she’ll make everything fall into place.” _

_ Her vision failed her and everything fell into darkness, but she could still hear his voice in her ears: “You’ll see.” _

-§-

_ She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she had passed out, but when she opened her eyes again, she breathed in fresh air. Felicity looked around, not seeing anything other than woods around herself. _

_ They had killed them all; her entire pack was gone. _

_ She fought the urge to break down and cry, knowing that it wouldn’t help her now. They had turned her into a hybrid and this was her new reality now… She was going to have to live with it, no matter how much she wished that she didn’t have to. She had to stop him, the Master. There was no way of knowing how many were actually aware of the fact that he existed. _

_ She was going to have to learn how to deal with her new situation. She’d learn how to control herself and her new powers and then she was going to find someone who was willing to help her. Felicity looked at her hands and up at the full moon that was the only thing giving her light. She inhaled deeply once more and knew exactly what she was going to do. _

_ Her bones broke slowly, one by one and she gritted her teeth, not wanting to show weakness. When she rose on all fours, her eyes glowed golden again and she looked up at the sky, seeing clearly for the first time in what felt like forever. _

_ She howled. _

-§-

The howl shook Oliver completely. He turned around and stared at Felicity who was half-sitting, roaring as her canines elongated and her eyes glowed as they snapped open. She was still restrained, but she wasn’t fighting her bonds. Instead, it seemed like she had just forced herself awake from whatever dream the serum had caused her to have.

She was drenched in sweat and panting when she slumped back again, her eyes closing, but she seemed more alive than ever. Oliver hurried to her side, unbuckling the restraints together with Sara and Nyssa and before her could even react, Felicity threw her arms around him.

Her embrace was fierce and she was clutching him as if she never wanted to let him go. Oliver held her just as tightly, slowly sinking to the floor with her still in his arms.

“I was wrong,” she told him, her breathing still heavy. “Oliver, I was wrong about everything.”

“Shh… It’s okay,” Oliver said, running his hand over the back of her head. “Breathe, just breathe through it.”

Felicity nodded against him, but she kept holding on. Oliver closed his eyes, finally feeling like he was able to breathe himself.

-§-

They were still sitting on the floor together. He was still holding her and she was letting him. She shouldn’t be letting him touch her like this, but she just couldn’t help herself.

Felicity had no idea for how long she had been unconscious. She listened to Oliver as he whispered into her ear everything that had been happening while she had been under the serum. He had thought that he was going to lose her and he had been helpless, not being able to do anything to stop it from happening. She didn’t remember what she had told them when she had been under the influence of the League’s truth serum, but she did remember what she had seen in her dreams.

Her memories were open to her once more, but she wasn’t sure that anything she had remembered would actually help them to identify the Master. Still, she had found out quite a few things about herself and what had happened to her. She understood now why she was changing the more she bonded with Roy and she understood exactly how she had escaped because she hadn’t escaped at all.

“He let me go,” she told Oliver in a hushed whisper.

Oliver froze, “What do you mean?” 

She could feel how tense he was, but he kept holding her. He wasn’t pushing her away. “He knew that I would never fully submit to him so he compelled me to forget a lot of things and then let me go,” Felicity explained, her voice hoarse. “He knew that I would want answers and that I would want to defeat him… He knew that I’d end up looking for help.” Oliver’s grip on her tightened and she couldn’t help the sob that escaped her. “He knew I’d reach out to you, Oliver. He knew that I would end up leading you directly to him. That’s what he wants,” she cried.

“It’s not your fault,” Oliver said, pulling her tighter against him.

“I wish I had been stronger, I wish I had known,” Felicity said, clutching his shirt in her hand, twisting the material.

“Hey, hey… It’s  _ not  _ your fault,” Oliver repeated. “I still believe in you.”

She whimpered, nuzzling against him as she shut her eyes tightly. She inhaled his scent, instantly feeling comforted by his presence.

She shouldn’t be feeling this way around him anymore.

“I might still be a wolf, Oliver,” she told him, knowing that he had to hear this. “Whatever they injected me with, they were having problems with developing it. They weren’t sure how long it would work on me. Whatever it was, it might stop working after a while.”

“Felicity, it’s been over a year since you were turned,” Oliver said. “I know you wish there was some kind of cure, but-”

She reached up and cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “I know, Oliver,” she said. “But since Roy and I started a pack and I’ve forced myself to turn into a wolf… I’ve feel like I’ve been losing the vampire part of me more and more.”

“You can’t get your hopes up, Felicity,” Oliver insisted. “I understand that you want nothing more than to just be yourself again, but until we know for sure…”

“Okay, okay,” Felicity nodded, once again leaning into him.

She felt weak and she knew that that was why she kept leaning on him. That was why she was still sitting between his legs, allowing him to hold her close. For a moment, she allowed herself to pretend that there was nothing wrong between them, that Russia had never happened and that they just  _ were.  _ She wouldn’t need anything else, if she knew that he was with her. The feeling inside of her was warming her up and she felt like she had found her place. It was just wishful thinking, though, she knew. Because after tonight, she would have to face the things that she had learned and she would have to deal with them. She had a lot of work to do and until they stopped the Master, she wasn’t sure she should talk to Oliver regarding what they potentially were to each other.

Maybe Roy had been right, after all.

-§-

“Nyssa and I will be leaving Starling City tonight,” Sara said after a moment of silence. Oliver noticed that she and Nyssa had cleaned up the place and there was a backpack in the corner of the room, probably with Sara’s things.

“I am well aware of how skeptic I was towards helping you, Ms. Smoak,” Nyssa said, “but it seems that I was wrong to think that all Dark Ones are the same. You are extraordinary.”

Oliver was still holding Felicity, but he could feel that she had stopped shaking now. Her tears were drying against his skin but he couldn’t find it in himself to let her go.

“If you ever need out help, I’m sure you’ll be able to locate us somehow, Felicity,” Sara said, offering them both a small smile.

“The serum has worn off and you shouldn’t worry about any lingering side-effects,” Nyssa told them. “It’s normal to feel disoriented for a few days.”

“Thank you for your help, Nyssa,” Felicity said, sounding tired.

Oliver looked down at her, seeing that she looked exhausted. In fact, he too was feeling as if he hadn’t slept at all. He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost five o’clock in the morning. The storm had passed, but it was still raining outside. He had to get Felicity home somehow, but he wasn’t sure how since he had taken his bike to get to the clock tower.

“I should help you clean up a bit,” Sara said, offering her hand to Felicity. “You’re exhausted, I know, but we have to at least clean up the blood on your head.”

Felicity looked up at him and he slowly nodded, pulling away from her just a little bit so that he could stand and then help her up. Her legs were a bit wobbly from what he could tell, but he was sure that she’d get her strength back soon. Oliver held her up until Sara reached out and started supporting her instead. Sara gave him a small smile and then walked away with Felicity to the other room so that she could clean up in privacy.

Oliver stood still before looking down at his hand that was still wrapped up. It was stinging a bit, but he’d had worse. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off he was finally feeling his own exhaustion.

“What made you, a hunter, take up a hybrid as a lover?” Nyssa questioned as she came to stand beside him.

Oliver shook his head, “I’ve told you already that things between me and Felicity aren’t like that.”

Nyssa turned to look at him, searching his eyes for a moment. “Your bond with that little wolf runs deep, Oliver Queen,” she said. “It would do you good to stop denying what is right in front of you.”

Oliver didn’t say anything in response. He remained silent and looked out the window, watching the rain pour down over the city. He knew very well what he felt toward Felicity. It wasn’t up to him anymore. He would keep showing her how much he cared and regretted what he had done to destroy what had been between them, and he could only hope that she would eventually let him in fully again.

They had been making progress, but things had continued to be awkward. He wanted them to work on their friendship and trust before they could even discuss being anything more. He knew that his feelings for her ran deep, perhaps even deeper than he would ever be able to understand. What he had felt tonight when he hadn’t been able to do something to help her had been awful, but it had shaken him all the way down in his core. He had been shocked at the emotions that had coursed through him and the way that he had somehow felt connected to her. The bond that Roy had told him about and the comment that Nyssa had made so many times already about the two of them being mates… Well, a part of him hadn’t wanted to believe it at first because he understood that it meant that he had completely shattered Felicity when he had done what he had done. Yet, he knew that it was time to face reality. He knew that he had done wrong and he regretted it more than anything in the world. He wanted to make things right and he would never give up.

Oliver cleared his throat, turning to Nyssa. “You don’t by any chance have a car I can borrow, do you?”

-§-

Half an hour later, Oliver sat in the driver’s seat of Nyssa’s car. He hadn’t even questioned her where she had gotten it, but he was pretty sure that she had somehow managed to rent it, despite the police looking for her throughout the city after the whole airport debacle. He had left his bike for her to use when she and Sara left town, but he couldn’t help but wonder how they were going to get away from the city before dawn broke.

Oliver looked over at Felicity who was sitting in the passenger seat. He wanted to ask her how she was doing, but he already knew how tired she was. There was no point of questioning her further regarding what she had remembered, because he was certain that she would talk to the rest of the team tomorrow. He had tried telling her that she needed to take a day off, but she had insisted that they had to get back to it. Oliver just didn’t have it in him anymore to fight her on it.

Her fingers reaching for his shook him out of his thoughts. Oliver looked at her again, this time confusedly, but she was still looking straight ahead as she pulled his hand over to her lap. She laced their fingers together, not speaking a word, and she didn’t have to. Oliver could hear her perfectly well and he understood what she needed.

So he remained silent and squeezed her hand, hoping that he could show her through the small action that he was still with her, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That was a lot to take in, wasn't it? I'm going to let you guys process it and everything, but I just want to clarify something quickly: Yes, Felicity IS a hybrid, but from her memories, she could tell that the thing they were injecting her with was still in the experimental stages. She doesn't really know if she can go back to being just a wolf, but there is hope, in her mind. Oliver tried to "talk her down" a bit there because he knows how much she hates being a hybrid deep down and he doesn't want her to get her hopes up. We won't know if it's possible for her to remove the vampire part of her until we meet the Master.
> 
> Oh, and by the way, she was LET GO. She didn't escape like she previously remembered having done, because she was only able to remember what the Master compelled her to remember. Now, if that doesn't show just how powerful that guy is, then I don't know what does...
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! I hope I didn't disappoint, and also, remember, the next chapter will be "lighter" and will force Felicity to come to terms with her own feelings for Oliver, much like he did with his feelings for her in this chapter.
> 
> So tell me, what was your favorite part? Was there something that shocked you and surprised you? Something you didn't expect? Did you notice the dialogue of one memory being related to the lines Felicity heard in her head during Malcolm's sound-device attack during the Undertaking back in ch. 18? Was it clear enough what was a memory and what was present time with Oliver?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Love you all, have a great week! xx


	24. The Mysterious Case of Mr. Allen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is a funny thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. No excuses this time. No long notes explaining my absence. I'm going to bed now and I haven't had time to edit this, but I really, really hope it's not completely fucked up. Please, enjoy and be kind!
> 
> P.S. "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors was on repeat throughout this chapter, which was honestly intended to be a short filler, but turned into a monster. Thank you for your attention. xx

****Hunted** **

****Chapter 24: The Mysterious Case of Mr. Allen** **

 

Time was a curious thing. Strange, in most cases, especially when it came to the Dark World. There had never been any indication that it moved differently for hybrids, vampires or even werewolves for that matter. There was no reason to believe that it slowed down based on a certain creatures speed.

Felicity knew of bellua shapeshifters in Africa who turned into cheetahs and wolves in Canada who never experienced any difference in time, no matter if they ran at high speeds or trudged through the wildlands. Of course, there were times, when she turned into a wolf that the hours somehow seemed dragged out, especially during the first couple of transformations she had gone through. Now, she was used to turning and she did so within the blink of an eye. It was the same for Roy too, except for the fact that he couldn’t turn at will like her. He was still confined to turning during the full moon, but his instincts and heightened senses were always present and active.

Things had been different, since __that__ night though. It didn’t have anything to do with time being slowed, or the days feeling dragged out. Instead, the weeks seemed to pass quickly. Since the night that she had remembered more about her captivity with the help of Nyssa’s serum, Felicity had been on a personal mission to figure out if there was a way for her to return to her original state of being just a werewolf. She had discussed the matter with the rest of the team as well and Oliver wasn’t the only one who continuously reminded her that she shouldn’t get her hopes up because it had all just been speculation. Tommy and Diggle had also expressed their concern, questioning whether it smart to try and revert back to only being a wolf when being a hybrid gave her better healing abilities, for one. There were quite a few good things that came with being a hybrid, especially if one was in control of their abilities. Felicity understood that the pros could be considered to outweigh the cons once one had things under control, but she knew that the only thing she wanted was to have a choice. It was all that she had ever wanted to have and the one thing that she had been deprived of when she had been forcibly turned into a hybrid. The perks of it didn’t matter to her then, because all she wanted was to be able to choose her own path.

Weeks passed since the serum had revealed the possibility of her turning back into a werewolf alone. She avoided consuming blood at all costs, trying to connect more with her wolf side. Her focus was on Roy and training him, making the pack that she had started more connected. Sure, at the moment, only she and Roy were wolves, but she needed the two of them to be completely in sync with one another whenever they went out on the streets at night. When it came to the rest of their team, Felicity could sense that they didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that she was in a way experimenting on herself; testing her limits and trying to see how far she could push herself without having to revert to her hybrid abilities. She trained with Diggle every single day, taught Tommy how to work the computers more efficiently and then went out on hunts with Oliver and Roy during the nights. Of course, she didn’t __always__ go out with them, because she still preferred to keep an eye on things from the Foundry, although there was still that thing where she continously tested herself when she was hunting with Oliver.

Weeks turned into months and the search for the Master didn’t go anywhere. It had been quiet for so long that she and the team almost wondered whether the Master had changed his or her location entirely. On one hand, they couldn’t solve the mystery that they had been working on since Felicity had joined the team, but on the other, it gave them to focus on putting other Dark Ones behind bars. Not only that, but during the months that had passed, Oliver and Thea had gotten the opportunity to watch their mother’s trial process. Things were looking up for Moira, according to Thea. Laurel was still working on her case and from what the woman could see, there was no reason for the judges to draw things out any further.

This turned out to be true, considering that Moira’s case finally went to court, where she was freed of all charges. The entire team was there and Felicity sat beside Oliver throughout all of it to show her support. Things between them were different too, after that night. They weren’t entirely back to how they had been, but they were definitely better. She would never be able to forget what had happened and she knew that he wouldn’t either. The only thing she could hope for was that they would keep going forward. Their friendship had at least returned to some degree. It wasn’t just about working as a team like it had been before the serum. Now, they spent more time together just talking about things too.The feelings that she had had for him were still there, of course, but she was able to ignore them most of the time since she didn’t want to act on them for now. If anything was going to happen between her and Oliver, it needed to feel right and Felicity was certain that before then, they needed to actually grow back into the way that they had been.

Roy had questioned her on it several times, asking her how she could be so stubborn as to not acknowledge the fact that there seemed to be a much deeper bond between her and Oliver than either of them would have first anticipated. She always told him that it was simple; that she and Oliver weren’t ready for it and that there still was a part of her that doubted that the two of them actually were true mates. She wasn’t even sure that mates existed, in that sense, even though it was evident that Roy and Thea shared a bond that could be interpreted as them being soulmates. It wasn’t something that she liked to discuss though, and that was why she mostly just dismissed it when it was brought up. She and Oliver were on good terms and that was enough. There was no reason for them to complicate things with romantic feelings. Roy normally took the chance to address the matter when the two of them were alone though, such as when they were training in the woods outside of Starling City. They would drive out there once a week and play hide and seek with one another. It was a way for Roy to train his senses and gave Felicity the opportunity to explore the mind connection that the two of them shared.

Her relationship with Oliver wasn’t the only thing that her beta brought up. Roy also had a tendency to ask her if reverting back to simple lycanthropy was was what she really wanted. Usually, Felicity had an answer for it, but sometimes, she doubted herself. She wanted the ability to choose for herself, but whenever she thought about it, she could never pinpoint exactly what her final choice would be if she was given the opportunity to make it.

-§-

Oliver sat next to Felicity during the board meeting but he was having trouble concentrating on what was being said. Felicity’s knee was jumping up and down, as if she couldn’t wait for the meeting to be over either, which was strange for her considering that she was always the one who told him that it was important for them to be there. He had a feeling that the reason for her uneasiness was that Walter was discussing what was going to happen now that Moira was free.

Back when his mother had first been arrested, Walter had left his position as CEO of the company and given it to Oliver. After Moira’s release, a part of Oliver had simply assumed that both Walter and Moira would be returning to work in the company full-time. However, it appeared that his mother had no plans of going back to becoming anything other than a board member at Queen Consolidated. They had discussed it at home and Moira had made the decision that it was better for her to focus on their family instead of the family business. Oliver and Thea supported her in her choice and Walter would most likely keep doing the work that he had been doing in her absence. A part of Oliver had hoped that he would be able to focus more on hunting down the Master now that his mother wasn’t imprisoned anymore, but it seemed like things would remain the same for now. Felicity was nervous though and he could feel it. Perhaps it was because this was the first time that she was going to be in his mother’s presence since the trial and Oliver wondered why the blonde had been avoiding his mother.

Yes, sure, Moira knew about him being the Arrow and Felicity being a hybrid, but from what his mother had told him, she understood that Felicity was different. Oliver wasn’t sure if Felicity was somehow afraid that his mother was going to judge her now that the two of them might cross paths more often. He did expect things to be awkward for a while, but a part of him hoped that they would at least be civil with one another. After all, when his mother had come clean about the Undertaking, it was Felicity that she had approached. That must have meant something.

Walter had been the one to call the official meeting to inform the other board members how they were going to proceed with the company. He was in the middle of explaining how they were going to handle Moira’s transitioning to being only a shareholder. According to him, Moira would need to make a public announcement and tell the truth about her wanting to spend more time with her family. They were going to try and appeal to the public eye, showing her vulnerable side and making sure that they saw her as the mother that she was, who had only been fearing for the life of her children. It was the thing that had freed her in court and they wanted to use it again to show the citizens of Starling City that it had been the truth.

A cell phone rang suddenly, making Oliver frown. Usually, during board meetings everyone turned their phones off or at least put them on silence. Walter cleared his throat, taking out his phone from his pocket. He frowned, holding up a hand apologetically. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said. “I’m afraid I need to take this call.”

He stepped out of the room and instantly, hushed whispers began making their way through the room. Oliver looked down at Felicity and saw that she had her eyes closed, a concentrated look on her face.

“Something has been stolen,” she told him, her voice low. “Something from our Applied Sciences Division.”

“The ASD?” Oliver frowned, his voice equally quiet. Walter was still the head of that department, which was probably why he was the one they were calling and not Oliver.“What?”

“I can’t pick up on it,” Felicity shook her head. “Everyone else is too loud.”

Oliver knew that it was a side-effect of her not drinking blood anymore. He still remembered how she had managed to communicate with Lawton who had been in an entirely different building once. He hadn’t understood it much then but Oliver knew now just how much difference her consuming blood could do. When she didn’t feed the vampire part of her, her wolf side took over more. She was still strong and fast, but not as fast as she was when she drank blood. Her hearing was heightened too, although she certainly couldn’t hear things that people said in the building across the street.

He didn’t have time to think too much about it because Walter re-entered the room and made a quick motion for him to join him outside. Oliver looked at Felicity and she nodded, standing up at the same time as him as the two of them stepped out of the conference room.

“What happened?” Oliver asked Walter, who was looking concerned.

“It seems as if a centrifuge has been stolen from our Applied Sciences Division,” Walter told him. “The break in apparently happened during the night and the police has already been notified.”

“Why are you looking like that then?” Oliver wondered, indicating the worried look on Walter’s face.

“The scientists who called the police looked at the security footage and apparently, there was something strange with the tapes,” Walter explained. “The police will be there shortly, but I won’t be able to be there until the meeting with the board finishes up. Would you mind meeting with the detective in charge of the investigation to see if they come up with anything?”

“I hardly think that they’ll find the culprit that quickly, Mr. Steele,” Felicity interjected. “Although I do agree that it could be a good idea for someone to be there to greet the cops when they get there.”

Walter looked at her and nodded. “That’s why I want Oliver to be there,” he said, turning to Oliver once more. “To have someone who has a higher position in the company, such as the CEO there shows that we concern ourselves with what happens in our firm. You need to be there because a centrifuge is not cheap equipment, Oliver. I’ll make sure to wrap up the meeting and inform the other board members that you are to continue to be the CEO.”

“We’ll leave right away,” Oliver said, taking a hold of Felicity’s hand. He was so used to it by now that it was an automatic reaction for him. Especially since that night with the serum.

Walter’s eyes fell to their hands and Oliver could have sworn that he saw the older man’s lips twitch. He only nodded though, telling them that he would finish up the meeting and that they should get going.

-§-

Felicity looked over the security footage on her phone, frowning to herself as she tried to make sense of it. She had taken the opportunity to hack into the system and download the recording so that she could get an idea about what they were dealing with, but what she was seeing was just as confusing to her as it probably had been to the scientists who had called the police. She had made sure that Detective Lance would be the one on the scene by sending him a message to tell him that it might have something to do with the Dark Ones. A stolen centrifuge could be used for a lot of things and it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly what the perpetrator might want with it.

Oliver seemed nervous about the whole ordeal and she could understand why. He was used to dealing with things inside the office, but with the way that their lives were being shaken up recently, he couldn’t be very happy about having to go out in the public eye again and put on his CEO mask. It had been like that when he had gone to Moira’s hearing as well. Felicity recalled how he hadn’t been able to stop pacing, his nerves getting the better of him. He hadn’t stopped fidgeting until she had grabbed his hand and told him that she would come with him, if he needed her. Things had been a bit easier between them since she had taken the serum, after all, but it hadn’t changed the fact that he had been surprised by her offer. Still, she had been there by his side and held his hand throughout the hearing, right up until Moira was freed of her charges. Felicity had been nervous to meet Mrs. Queen again, but the woman had treated her respectfully and thanked her for whatever support that she had given to Oliver. It had made Felicity wonder just how much Oliver’s mother knew about Felicity’s relationship with him.

“Are you okay?” Felicity asked, trying not to think too much about it as she looked up at Oliver.

He shrugged, “I’m fine, I guess.”

Felicity blinked a few times but nodded slowly. “If you weren’t, you do know that it’s okay to say so, right?”

Oliver’s lips twitched slightly but he nodded back at her. Sighing to himself, he looked out the window, frowning. “I can’t help but feel that something is coming,” he finally said.

Felicity watched him for another moment, thinking about his confession. It wasn’t as if they didn’t know that something was approaching, because they had known for months. The Master was still out there somewhere, turning wolves into hybrids and building up his army. Things were brewing and they all knew it.

“Whatever is thrown at us, we’ll deal with it,” she said. “Together,” she added thoughtfully. Oliver looked back at her and met her eyes. She could see that there was something bothering him still and she wanted to know, but at the same time, she didn’t want to ruin the progress that they had been making with one another. Since the serum, she had found that it didn’t hurt to be around him as much as it had before. It was almost as if they had both reached some kind of stage where they knew that they couldn’t be without one another, even though they weren’t together.

Not that they had ever been.

Finally, Oliver cleared his throat, “Thanks, Felicity. That means a lot.”

Felicity offered him a smile and then returned to look at her phone.

-§-

Oliver and Felicity walked into the ASD side by side. They were instantly met by the sight of the police questioning some of the workers regarding the equipment that had been stolen. Oliver looked at Felicity, who was frowning. Oliver followed her gaze and instantly spotted Detective Lance who was standing next to a younger man, someone who Oliver had never seen before. His curiosity rose when Quentin looked up and motioned for Oliver and Felicity to come closer.

Felicity didn’t hesitate as she walked up to them and Oliver followed her without question. He wondered whether she might have sensed something about the unknown man and if that was the reason for her frown.

“Oliver,” the detective nodded at him, being curt as always. “Felicity. This is-”

“Barry Allen,” the other man introduced himself with a bright smile. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Queen,” he said, holding his hand out for Oliver to shake.

Oliver shook his hand firmly, “Mr. Allen. This is my executive assistant, Felicity Smoak.”

Barry looked at Felicity and Oliver couldn’t help but note the other man paused for a second before offering her his hand too. “Ms. Smoak,” he nodded politely.

“Felicity is fine, Mr. Allen,” Felicity smiled back.

“Barry then,” the man replied. “I’m with the Central City Police Department. I work in the Criminal and Forensic Science Division.”

“Central City?” Oliver questioned.

Barry turned back to Oliver and nodded, “I know, long way from home. Actually, not __that__ long, but I missed the first train so it felt like __ages__. Central City really is just a train ride away, but I had to wake up earlier than I usually do and…” Barry trailed off and Oliver raised an eyebrow at him. He glanced at Felicity who seemed amused by Barry’s blurted words and something inside of Oliver twitched for a moment. “Sorry,” Barry sheepishly said. “Sometimes I tend to babble.”

“You’ll fit right in here then,” Lance said, looking pointedly at Felicity.

“Yeah,” Felicity grinned. “I think it will be nice not to be the only one to fall off topic for once.”

This time, Oliver was the one who tensed. He knew how to recognize politeness in Felicity’s tone and he knew what interest sounded like. Something was up because Felicity was being more than just polite.

Oliver narrowed his eyes momentarily, frowning as he looked at Barry who was still smiling brightly at Felicity. Oliver cleared his throat and turned to Detective Lance, “Could someone please tell me what happened?”

Lance’s lips twitched, as if he was about to smirk, but finally he nodded. “A centrifuge was stolen here last night, as you probably know by now,” he said. “We’ve taken the statements of the workers who found the device missing, but so far, no one in the forensics team has been able to find any clues as to who broke in.”

“Is that why you are here?” Oliver asked. “ _ _Barry__.”

He didn’t mean to sound like he was actually questioning the young man and he honestly didn’t __want__ to sound like an asshole. However, there was only so much that he could do to not roll his eyes when Barry smiled brightly at him too, looking as if he wasn’t picking up on Oliver’s annoyance at all.

“Actually, I’m here because some aspects of this case might help me in a case I’m working on back home,” Barry explained.

“Some aspects? I thought the culprit didn’t leave any clues,” Felicity said.

“Well, look at this,” Barry said, holding out his tablet toward Felicity. Oliver looked over her shoulder, noticing that the security footage was on display. Oliver watched as a man walked into the lab, heading straight for the centrifuge. The man wore a mask, making sure to conceal his identity, but that wasn’t the strange thing with the footage. No, instead, Oliver’s frown deepened when the man in the shot ripped the machine straight from the floor, lifting it effortlessly into the air before walking out. He had been too deep in his own thoughts when he had been in the car with Felicity, so he hadn’t looked at it before now. Oliver’s mind had been too caught up in everything that was going on over at Queen Consolidated and the conversation he had had with Walter the night before. He wasn’t ready for Felicity to know anything about it yet, but he didn’t like keeping secrets from her. Not now when they were finally on the right path again. He only hoped things would work out the way he wanted them to and that she would be able to understand when she found out.

Nonetheless, seeing the footage now only made Oliver more confused. He turned to Felicity at the same time that she looked up at him and he paused. She was so close and for just a moment, he forgot all about the things that had happened between them. He took a step back, giving himself some room to breathe. Felicity chewed on her lip and Oliver glanced down before looking back at Barry and Quentin. Neither of them seemed to have notice how difficult it was for Oliver to tear himself away from the blonde standing next to him.

“How is this possible?” Oliver questioned. He had his suspicions because he had seen the look on Felicity’s face. This was the work of a Dark One, although Oliver wasn’t sure that he seen a Nightcrawler as strong as the one in the video in several years. He had to talk to his team and they had to figure out how to move forward with all of it. The police was involved, but Oliver was certain that Felicity could speak to Lance and make sure that the Arrow got to do his own investigation on the side.

“Drugs?” Lance suggested, sounding sarcastic.

“Not so sure about that,” Barry shook his head. “I’ve been cleared to work with the SCPD on this case, so I’ll be looking into it and try to solve it as fast as possible.”

“Things like these normally take a lot of time though, don’t they?” Felicity asked.

“Yeah, but I’m good at what I do,” Barry smiled.

“I don’t doubt that,” Felicity grinned back.

Oliver only stared.

“Well then,” he said, “it seems as if this case is in capable hands. I trust that you’ll come back to us as soon as something comes up, Detective.” He gently took the tablet from Felicity’s hands and handed it back to Barry. With a curt nod, he placed his hand on Felicity’s back and began leading her out of the room.

“Oliver, what are you doing?” Felicity hissed under her breath.

“Just say ‘bye’ and let’s head to the Foundry,” Oliver murmured back. “We have work to do.”

Felicity allowed Oliver to lead her away, but glanced over her shoulder, giving Barry and the Detective a small wave and a smile. Oliver pressed his lips together, hoping that whatever was going on would be resolved soon, so that they could all get back to focusing on the important things.

-§-

A couple of days later, Oliver was beyond annoyed with how slowly the case seemed to be moving. His team had already established that the man who had stolen the centrifuge was a Dark One. With the strength that he had shown, there was no way that the man wasn’t a supernatural creature. Felicity had tried to make sense of what he was, but the mask he had worn covered his eyes which made it that more difficult to establish his species. Oliver had seen powerful Nightcrawlers, but physical strength like that was unusual, especially when there wasn’t a full moon powering the creatures up more.

Oliver’s annoyance might not only have to do with not getting anywhere with the case though. There was also the fact that Felicity had been getting almost a bit too involved with it. She was keeping in touch with Quentin and working closely with analyzing the little evidence the police had gathered. She gave her professional intel as a computer whizz and that also meant that she was working side by side with Barry Allen.

The scientist was absolutely smitten with Felicity, but that was no surprise to Oliver. There weren’t many that didn’t find her charming once they got to know her. On the other hand, Oliver couldn’t really understand why Felicity kept smiling so much around Barry, whenever he came to their office and helped from there. Well, he did understand why, but he didn’t understand why he was so bothered by it. Seeing Felicity smile though, was refreshing. It had been a while since he had heard her laugh and something inside of him twinged whenever Barry made her grin so widely that her eyes sparkled.

On top of it all, Thea had decided that they needed to officially celebrate their mother’s return. That celebration meant a party where all board members from Queen Consolidated were invited, as well as some other family friends. Thea had made sure that everyone on their team was invited and Oliver knew it was partially because his mother had wanted to meet the other members of his group. Naturally, that meant that Felicity was invited as well. The thing was that as soon as Thea had invited her, she had also made sure to tell Felicity that she was allowed to bring a plus one. It was only logical since Tommy had volunteered to stay in the Foundry for the night and Roy was Thea’s date for the evening. Diggle was going to keep up his facade of being Oliver’s bodyguard, which meant that he had had to cancel his meeting with Lyla. Oliver was pretty sure that the ‘meeting’ was actually a date and that there was something going on between the two of them again, but he didn’t want to pry. Nevertheless, in Thea’s opinion, Felicity needed to bring someone too. Oliver had been close to pointing out that she could just go with him, but then, Felicity had looked at him and caught him off guard by asking whether it would be okay for her to ask Barry to join them.

“What?” Oliver asked, staring at her.

“Oh, boy,” Tommy snickered from behind Felicity. He was training with Roy and Diggle over by the mats and Oliver glared at him.

“I was wondering if it’s okay if I ask Barry to come,” Felicity shrugged. “I mean, he’s all alone here in the city and I figured it could be a good chance to see how far he’s gotten with the case.”

“But you discussed the case with him this morning?” Oliver continued to frown.

Felicity brushed her hair back behind her ear, “Yeah, okay, I get it. I won’t mention the party to him.”

“No, wait,” Oliver stopped her from turning back to her computers. She sighed and looked up at him expectantly. Oliver looked toward the other three men in the Foundry who seemed to have stopped working out in favor of watching his and Felicity’s conversation play out. “Of course you can invite Barry,” Oliver said, but something inside of his chest clenched at the thought of having to see Felicity and Barry smiling all night. “If it’ll make you happy, ask him out.” Oliver forced a smile when Felicity’s eyes brightened and she stood up from her seat, throwing her arms around Oliver in a hug. He didn’t expect it, but slowly lifted his arms up to hold her back, sighing against the top of her head.

“Thank you, Oliver,” Felicity smiled, her cheek resting against his chest. Oliver hoped that she couldn’t hear how loudly his heart was beating, but at the same time, he wondered if it was possible for her to hear it crack. Felicity deserved to be happy though, and Oliver would be damned if he did anything to stop her from being so, even if it was with Barry. After everything that he had put her through, he didn’t deserve to have an opinion on the matter, no matter how much it hurt to have her slip from his fingers.

-§-

Felicity waited nervously, biting her lip as she scanned over the people who were mingling in the Queen mansion. She didn’t know what it was that had compelled her to invite Barry, but she found him charming in a nerdy kind of way and she wanted to get to know him a bit better. It was difficult to explain, but the moment she had met him, curiosity had risen inside of her. The feeling was similar to the one that she had gotten when she had first shaken Roy’s hand, although she was certain that Barry wasn’t a wolf. Still, explaining such a thing to Oliver and the other members in their team would be difficult enough, so she had just avoided doing so. Besides, from what she could tell, no warning-bells whatsoever went off when she was in Barry’s proximity. It was all about instinct and senses and as she had gotten ready tonight, she had told Roy to keep his sharp too. Whatever Barry was, Felicity was certain that he wasn’t aware of it himself. Perhaps Roy would be able to pick up on something she was missing. On the other hand, Roy hadn’t been as exposed to Dark Ones as she had. He hadn’t even known he was a wolf himself until she had introduced him to the Dark World.

“You look nice, Felicity,” Roy said as he sidled up to her. He touched his tie for the hundredth time and Felicity smacked his hands away. Roy pouted, his eyebrows furrowing. “I’ll never get used to all of this,” he said.

Felicity looked out over the people who were all dressed in long gowns and suits. “Yeah, it’s not my scene either,” she said, hands moving over the fabric of the dress she wore. It was a pink chiffon dress with an open back. Her hair was curled at the ends and she had pinned it up in the front so that it wouldn’t bother her during the night, but otherwise, it hung loosely. She wasn’t wearing the fake glasses tonight.

“Your date hasn’t arrived yet, I see.”

Felicity turned sharply, meeting Oliver’s baby blue eyes. She ignored the twinge in her chest at the sight of him, because he shouldn’t be allowed to look __that__ good in a suit. In his hands, he held two glasses of champagne.

“Oliver,” Felicity said, smiling at him lightly. She couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes moved over her body before he offered her the glass, which she gratefully accepted, taking a sip. “Charming as ever,” she grinned.

Oliver smiled back, his eyes trailing downward again before meeting hers once more. “You look beautiful, Felicity,” he said.

She faltered for a second, her smile dropping. This wasn’t about him keeping up appearances in public. They were friends, but she had heard the hint of something else in his tone. He was sincere, as always, but there was a longing there, so open and evident that it took her aback. Automatically, she took a step toward him, opening her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat.

“You guys are ridiculous,” Roy muttered from her side. “Why didn’t you bring me a glass of champagne? I’m going to need all the alcohol available to get through this night.”

“I really hope you aren’t planning on getting drunk on me, Roy,” Thea spoke up. She walked up to them and hugged Felicity before standing next to her boyfriend. Roy instantly looked more relaxed with her by his side. Felicity smiled again.

“Of course not,” Roy said. “With our track record when it comes to being attacked during parties, I need to be alert at all times.”

Thea smacked him in the side, “Don’t jinx us!” Roy huffed, but didn’t say anything else for a while. Thea grinned, turning back to Felicity and Oliver. “You’re looking great tonight, Felicity.”

“Thank you,” Felicity said. “You look amazing, Thea.”

“What?” Thea laughed. “This old rag?”

Felicity laughed, looking up at Oliver. She hadn’t noticed how close they were standing, but he didn’t seem to mind much as he looked down at her. Had she subconsciously moved closer to him or were they back to just gravitating toward one another, as they had before? He raised his hand and rested it on the small of her back, the warmth of his palm spreading through her like wildfire. She couldn’t force herself to stop smiling because for once, they all seemed to be relaxed and carefree.

“Wait, who is your plus one tonight?” Thea frowned, glancing around.

“He’s running a bit late,” Felicity said, a sinking feeling in her stomach. The heat that Oliver had radiated instantly disappeared as he shifted on his feet, away from her. She felt empty, suddenly.

“His name is Barry Allen,” Oliver filled in, his voice carefully neutral, not giving much away. “He’s working with the SCPD on the case of the stolen centrifuge.”

“Oh,” Thea raised her eyebrows. “I thought you guys were working that case,” she lowered her voice, “ _ _on the side__?”

“We are,” Felicity confirmed. “There are some details that clearly have to do with things that are…a bit unnatural.”

“Well, aren’t you worried that you’ll somehow expose yourself?” Thea frowned.

“No,” Felicity shook her head. “I actually invited Barry because-”

“Hey, Felicity!” Barry said, interrupting her as he walked with hurried steps toward them. His cheeks were flushed and he looked embarrassed, but Felicity smiled at him nonetheless. “I’m so, so sorry I’m late. I know I told you I’d meet you here, but the guards outside didn’t want to let me in for some reason.”

Felicity looked at Oliver, who once again looked impassive, but the fact that Barry had been kept from entering the mansion didn’t seem to be news to him. She narrowed her eyes and moved her heel to Oliver’s toe, stepping on it. Satisfaction welled inside of her when he winced, although fortunately, it didn’t seem like anyone else had noticed the small exchange.

“Hi, I’m Thea Queen, Oliver’s sister,” Thea introduced herself.

“Barry Allen,” Barry smiled politely. Felicity looked over at Roy when Thea quickly introduced him, but he gave her a curt shake of the head, indicating that he didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary when he shook the man’s hand.

After a short conversation where Barry shared that it was Oliver’s bodyguard who had finally told the other guys in security to let him through, Felicity asked Barry if he wanted to dance. There weren’t many others dancing, since most opted for just conversing with one another, but she wanted to get a bit closer to him, in case she were to pick up on something. Barry pointed out that he was a bad dancer, although when Felicity insisted, handing the little champagne that was left in her glass to Roy, he allowed her to drag him out on the dancefloor.

Barry stepped on her toes three times and Felicity laughed it off. The others in the room didn’t seem to mind them dancing; it was as if they didn’t even notice them. Felicity could still feel Oliver’s eyes burning into them. It was difficult to ignore it and she had to actually work hard not to seek out his eyes whenever Barry twirled her.

After dancing for a couple of songs, they went back to the others. For a while, they talked and Thea shared some funny stories from her younger years. Felicity’s eyes flickered to Oliver every once in awhile, noting how he continued to look as if he didn’t particularly care much for the conversation. When he got a text message, he excused himself with a smile that was practically plastered on his face and stepped away. Soon, Felicity decided that she wanted some time alone with Barry so that they could speak and maybe get to know one another. She told Roy and Thea that she would catch up with them later again before leading Barry out onto the balcony where they could talk in private.

As soon as she asked about his life in Central City, Barry started sharing stories from when he had been a kid. Felicity laughed along whenever he chuckled and she found herself genuinely enjoying his company.

“Why is this case so important to you?” she wondered after a while.

Barry paused and for the first time since she had met him, she saw something dark in his kind eyes. He seemed hesitant, looking down at his hands that were gripping the railing tightly.

“Hey,” Felicity said, her voice soft. She placed her hand over his, instantly feeling him relax. “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s not that,” Barry shook his head. “It’s just- I’m so used to people judging me for it…” He drew in a shaky breath, shaking his head again. “When I was eleven years old, my mom was murdered in front of me,” he started, looking at her as if gauging her reaction.

“I’m so sorry,” Felicity gasped. For a moment, she thought about the little boy that she had failed to save. Barry had been a child, unable to protect himself, much less his mother.

“They never caught the killer, but… They wrongfully convicted my father because they found him with my mom’s blood on his hands when they arrived at the scene,” Barry said. At Felicity’s confused look, he continued. “I woke up because I heard my mom talking to someone. It was late and the voices got louder and louder,” Barry explained. “When I went downstairs, I saw her and dad standing in the living room. Dad had a knife in his hand, but there was something off about him,” he said, seeming lost in his own story as a concentrated frown fell over his face. “Mom screamed at me to run and she threw her hand up and all of the sudden, I wasn’t in the house anymore.”

Felicity tensed, her mouth falling open.

“I know it sounds impossible,” Barry said quickly. “All I know is that right before I was somehow transported down the street, I looked into my dad’s eyes and they were __glowing__ ,” he said. “I ran back to the house as fast as I could, but when I got there, my dad was pulling up in his car. My __actual__ dad, not the __thing__ that I knew had hurt my mom… Anyway, he had been at a conference at the hospital and it had run late. When he saw the open door, Dad ran inside and told me to stay outside. He called 911, but when the police arrived, they arrested dad because he’d been covered in mom’s blood. He had been trying to save her.”

“Barry,” Felicity said and Barry drew in a painful breath.

“I’m sorry, I understand if you-”

“It’s not your fault,” she told him, shaking her head. She reached out to him and took both his hands in her own. “You were a kid and what happened to you was a tragedy. Why did they arrest your dad? Didn’t you say that he was a doctor? Didn’t the police realize that he was trying to save his wife?”

“There had been people walking their dog who had seen him enter the house,” Barry said. “The neighbors had heard the argument and identified the man’s voice as dad’s. No one believed me when I said that it hadn’t been my dad. No one believed me, because I was just a kid who had witnessed his father murdering his mother in cold blood.”

Felicity remained quiet, feeling the pain that radiated off of Barry. He was telling the truth about all of it and from what she could tell, things about him were making more sense now. It was amazing though, that a man like him could remain as bright and positive, despite everything that had happened to him. His mother had been murdered, practically in front of his eyes and his father had been wrongfully convicted. It must have been difficult for him to grow up knowing that his dad was viewed as a murderer for something that he hadn’t done.

“You mentioned something about living with one of your parents’ family friends,” Felicity said. “Didn’t they believe you?”

“How could they?” Barry questioned. “I was just a child and everyone else was telling them that I was trying to process what had happened by filling in the blanks on my own. Joe, my adoptive dad, he was the officer who took my dad in. I know it was difficult for him too, that he didn’t want to believe it at first… But after a while, when someone repeatedly tells you how something is, then you’re just going to accept it.”

Silence fell between them as Felicity processed it all. She felt sorry for Barry because no one deserved what had happened to him. “I’m sorry for bringing it up, Barry. I really am,” she said softly.

Barry smiled lightly, shaking his head, “It’s okay. I’m the one who decided to give you a summary of how sucky my childhood was at one point. But I guess that’s why I got into this job.”

“Because you wanted to solve your mother’s murder,” Felicity realized.

Barry nodded. “Yeah,” he confirmed. “That’s how I got started, but eventually, it became more about solving cases that seemed impossible. I want to be the one who believes in the impossible, the one who supports the next kid that people want to dismiss.”

Felicity looked at him, searching his eyes for a moment. Being out on the balcony with him was about so much more now and the urge she felt inside of her wasn’t based in pity. She felt sorry for Barry, yes, but what he had gone through had shaped him into the man that he was today. He might not know his full potential yet, but one day, he would figure it out. Until then, Felicity had this moment with him and she felt drawn to him; drawn to the happiness that he radiated, despite all the darkness in his past. She stepped toward him and Barry’s eyes widened when she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips gently against his own.

It was strange and there was no other way to describe it. While she did find Barry cute and interesting, kissing him was another thing entirely. She had wanted to see if she would feel something else for him too, some kind of deeper attraction, but there was nothing there. His lips pressed back against hers, hesitantly, and Felicity hated herself because it all just felt __wrong.__

Her mind went to a more heated kiss; one that had her pressed against the wall and up on the desk with hands moving frantically over her skin, desperate to touch her in every way possible. Her memories took her back to the more painful one; the one that had broken her heart all over again, because it had been a goodbye and nothing more. She felt awful, because even when she pulled back from Barry, her thoughts were on Oliver and the way that he still managed to make her heart race, with nothing more than just a look. It was unfair to Barry, because she had truly wanted to kiss him, if anything, for herself. A part of her had wished that she would enjoy it more, that she would be able to prove to herself once and for all that the feelings that she’d had for Oliver were gone. Instead, it seemed that this innocent little kiss had done nothing other than prove to her that they had always remained, latent and waiting for her to heal. It pained her, but it was the truth. Despite that, she wasn’t sure whether she was ready to accept that, because after everything that had happened since she had taken the serum, she and Oliver were finally back to being friends again. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to risk getting hurt again; she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do.

-§-

Oliver tucked his phone away as he started to make his way back to the main room. Tommy had given him a call and told him that Felicity’s search for the creature that had stolen the centrifuge had finally gotten a result. According to him, it was a man named Cyrus Gold who had disappeared a few months back. The man had a history of violence and had been apprehended by A.R.G.U.S. before escaping during his transfer to Iron Heights. Tommy had suggested that they wrap up the party for the night and get to the Foundry so they could look for the guy down by the harbor where security cameras had recently caught him on tape.

Just as he was about to get the others, his mother walked down the stairs, calling out for him gently. Oliver smiled at her and kissed her cheek before offering her his arm which she gratefully took. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Moira asked, eyebrows furrowing despite the smile on her lips. She looked better now that she wasn’t in an orange jumpsuit anymore. She looked more like herself. It seemed as if the pressure that Malcolm had put on her had just melted away and she was a new woman.

“Something’s come up,” he told her, not seeing a point in hiding it from her. She knew about him being the Arrow and she knew about Felicity being a hybrid, so why should he keep things from her? It would only worry her more if he kept quiet on something that might not even pan out.

“Oh, do you have to leave?” Moira frowned.

“I probably should,” he nodded. “I was just going to get Felicity and…” He trailed off at the look his mother gave him. “What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“I heard that Felicity was bringing a date,” Moira said, giving him a pointed look that he didn’t fully understand. Where was his mother going with this? Moira sighed, shaking her head at him. “I just thought that after everything that the two of you have been through… Well, I guess it was wrong of me to think that maybe the two of you were seeing one another,” she shrugged.

Oliver tensed. He looked around to make sure that no one had heard her. “Mom, Felicity is my __friend__ ,” he said.

“But you don’t want her to be, do you, son?” Moira questioned.

Oliver looked down, not being able to meet her eyes. Of course he wanted something more with Felicity. He cared about her more deeply than anyone else. The connection he felt with her wasn’t just a physical attraction; it had never been just about that. Even when he had been denying it to himself, something inside of him had screamed at him to stop being a fool with her and just accept what was happening. All those months ago, when the earthquake caused by Malcolm’s device had nearly killed her, Oliver had known that he loved her. Then Russia had happened and he had messed up everything and lost her trust. Still, as far as he could tell, they had worked through that, or at least gotten past it. It didn’t change the fact that he wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him.

Seeing her interactions with Barry, watching them dance together and realizing that since the moment they had met, they had never stopped smiling around one another… It had forced Oliver to accept that Felicity was better off without him. She deserved to be happy and if she could find happiness with someone other than him, he would just have to deal with that.

“I screwed up and now I have to deal with the consequences of my actions,” Oliver finally said, looking at his mother.

“Oliver,” his mother sighed. “I know that I’m not always the easiest person to talk to about things like these and I know that I’ve struggled with the truth about Felicity. I’ve had months to think about my view on this world and Oliver, let me just tell you, the way that you look at that woman speaks louder than anything else,” she said. “I understand if you need time, if she needs it too… All I ask is that you’re honest with yourself first and then with her. No matter how you __screwed up__ , eventually, you have to sit down and talk to one another about it. When you do, be honest because from what I’ve learned about Ms. Smoak, she values the truth over everything else.”

Oliver was at loss for words, so he just nodded. Of course his mother had noticed how he looked at Felicity. She was right though, he needed to be honest with both himself and Felicity, but he wasn’t ready for that now. Not when Felicity was finally laughing and smiling fully again. He wasn’t going to screw things up again by reminding her of what a fuck-up he was. He loved her too much to hurt her again like that.

It had probably been petty of him to give the guards some extra money to give Barry some trouble at the door. Now that he thought about it, Oliver couldn’t quite believe that he had reverted to such childishness. On the other hand, it had been meant to only be a small prank, he supposed, but that was no excuse. He would have to apologize to both Barry and Felicity when he saw them again. His toe still hurt from where Felicity had stepped on it.

“We should probably get going,” his mother said. “If you’re going to get your team gathered, I mean.” There was a proud smile on her face and Oliver gently kissed her temple before nodding in agreement.

When his mother started mingling with the guests, Oliver searched the crowd for Felicity and Barry, but he couldn’t see them anywhere. Letting his gut lead him, he walked toward the balcony, seeing that the door was open, a light breeze getting fresh air into the ballroom. He started to step outside, but stopped abruptly at the sight of a couple embracing. For a moment, he thought that he had stumbled upon two people stealing kisses under the stars, then, his brain caught up with the scene and his heart stuttered in his chest.

The air left him and suddenly, he felt a thousand pounds heavier. It might have been dark outside, but even in the dim light, Oliver recognized the pink fabric of Felicity’s dress. His throat closed up, feeling thick and Oliver could hardly breathe. He retreated back into the main room quickly, hoping that Felicity hadn’t sensed him. Anger coursed through him momentarily when his brain bitterly reminded him that she had probably been too busy kissing Barry to notice him. It was quickly replaced by hurt though because Oliver couldn’t blame her. Barry was everything that he was not. He was certain that if Barry had been put in the same situation as him, the younger man would have never done anything to hurt Felicity the way that Oliver had.

Walking through the room, heading toward the exit, he ignored Roy and Thea’s questioning look. He needed to get out of there, away from everything.

“Hey, man, where are you going?” Diggle questioned, putting his hand on Oliver’s chest to stop him from going out.

“Tommy called,” he said. “We have a lead on the suspect and I need to get going.”

“What about Roy and Felicity? You don’t want them to come with us?” Diggle frowned.

Oliver shook his head. “They deserve the night off,” he said. “I want you to stay here, though.”

“ _ _What?__ ” Diggle stared at him as if he had gone crazy. Maybe he had, but he couldn’t stay and he wasn’t about to let Diggle come with him when he needed space and time to think.

“I want you to stay and keep an eye on things,” Oliver repeated. “Keep Thea and my mom safe.”

“Don’t you think Felicity and Roy have it covered?” Diggle asked.

“Dig, __please__ ,” Oliver said, his voice finally breaking.

Diggle watched him, a look of realisation coming over him. “Oliver…”

Oliver just shook his head. “Just stay here, okay?”

“I will,” Diggle nodded. “But Oliver, you’re not in the right state of mind to go hunting on your own.” Oliver finally pushed past him, ignoring the older man as he called out to him. He just had to get away.

No more than twenty minutes later, Oliver entered the Foundry. He got geared up quickly, ignoring Tommy’s protests when he had said that he was going out alone. His best friend didn’t seem to understand why Oliver just couldn’t wait for Felicity and the others. At the sound of her name, Oliver had winced at the pain that tore through his chest. He needed air; he needed to get out.

“We think this guy is a blood hybrid, Oliver,” Tommy pointed out. “Diggle has told me about what happened the last time you faced one of those. At the underground casino? You almost got killed!”

“I’ve learned from my mistakes,” Oliver argued. “I know how to kill him now, if it gets to that.”

“Oliver, don’t do this,” Tommy said, following him to the stairs. Oliver took two at the time. “Oliver!”

Finally, he was outside and he shut the door to drown out Tommy’s protests. Somehow, he got on his bike and made it to the harbor. He wasn’t sure what he was going to find, but soon enough, he came across the man he had seen in the security footage at Queen Consolidated. In the recording, Cyrus Gold had been wearing a mask, but there was no denying the physique of the man. He was half-hunched over, shifting crates from one place to another, as if searching for something. Oliver jumped off the roof the moment he was sure that Gold was alone, but when the creature turned toward him, Oliver stopped short at the sight of black eyes. Frowning, he watched as the Dark One’s skin started bubbling momentarily, the face changing, the whole body reconstructing.

The first blow came as a shock to Oliver.

It wasn’t a blood hybrid.

-§-

Felicity stayed outside on the balcony with Barry for a while longer. After pulling away from the light kiss, her cheeks were warm and she met Barry’s eyes uncertainly. He smiled softly at her, chuckling and shaking his head as he let his hand drop from where it had settled on her waist.

“It’s been a weird night,” he said and Felicity raised an eyebrow at him.

“Wow, thanks. Not the reaction I was expecting, but whatever floats your boat,” she remarked, grinning.

Barry just shook his head and laughed, “It’s not that. __That__  was great. Unexpected, yeah, but great.” There was a look in his eyes and she recognized it as the same hesitation as before. He was sending out signals and she wasn’t really sure what he was trying to tell her.

“ _ _But__ ,” she prompted, nudging him lightly.

“Felicity, I think you’re kind of amazing,” he confessed. “I haven’t known you for more than a few days and normally, I don’t spill my life’s story on the first date, but you’re… __Amazing.__ ” She eyed him, sensing that there was still more to it. The guilt of her earlier thoughts still nagged away at her, but she didn’t want him to feel that something was off with her, which was why she continued as if nothing had changed.

As if she hadn’t just realized the magnitude of what she felt toward Oliver.

“There’s a girl,” Barry continued and now Felicity understood his hesitancy.

“Ah,” she drawled, still smiling at him. Barry looked guilty, but she shook her head. “Barry, do you like her?”

“She’s my best friend,” he said.

“Is that where the complication is?” Felicity wondered. Barry nodded in reply. “Well,” Felicity clicked her tongue, “I think you should be honest with how you feel. If you truly like her, you should see if she likes you back. Maybe there’s something there that you’re just too afraid to face, but maybe, if she feels the same, you don’t have to do it alone.”

“You’re not mad, are you?” Barry asked after a moment.

“I would have been if you were in a committed relationship and used me to cheat on your significant other,” Felicity stated bluntly. “But no, I’m not mad. You’re cute and I wanted to kiss you.”

“I wanted to kiss you too,” Barry said shyly. “I’m sorry that it won’t go anywhere. I’m just really confused about what to do with Iris and I’ve been thinking about asking her out, but you know…” He shrugged as he trailed off. Yeah, Felicity knew. She understood perfectly well how hard it could be to make the first move, especially when you didn’t know where you stood with someone. Somewhere along the way, lines just get blurred and that makes dealing with everything so much more difficult.

“I get it, Barry,” Felicity smiled. “No hard feelings, right?”

“No hard feelings,” Barry agreed with a nod. “Friends?” He opened his arms, welcoming her to hug him.

“Definitely,” Felicity grinned, stepping into him and embracing him tightly. “We should probably head inside though, before they all think we’ve run off somewhere.”

Barry laughed again, offering her his arm. She gladly accepted it and together, they walked back into the room. Instantly, Felicity spotted Thea and Moira standing together with some guests, but Oliver was nowhere near his mother and sister. The older woman looked toward her then, as if sensing Felicity’s confusion. She offered her a smile, said something to Thea who nodded and then the two of them started toward Felicity and Barry.

“Felicity,” Moira said, nodding her head politely. She looked at Barry then, “And you must be Mr. Allen.”

“Mrs. Queen,” Barry nodded. “Congratulations on being exonerated, I-” He cut himself off, eyes widening as if he couldn’t quite believe what he had said. Moira’s lips twitched and Felicity suppressed the urge to smirk.

“No harm done, Mr. Allen,” Moira said. “I’m glad to be free.”

“Of course,” Barry said. “I’m sorry, though. It wasn’t very tactful of me.”

Moira merely nodded at him again before turning toward Felicity. “I trust it you’re enjoying yourselves this evening?” she asked.

“Oh, yes,” Felicity smiled back. The woman might have accepted the fact that Felicity was a hybrid, but it didn’t change the fact that Felicity still felt uncomfortable around her. There was always something in Moira’s eyes. It was something that told Felicity that the older woman might know more than she was letting on.

“The champagne is great,” Felicity said, looking down at her empty hands. She frowned, “Uh, I gave my glass to Roy… Where __is__ Roy?” She looked around again, but her beta was nowhere to be seen.

“I believe he’s conversing with Mr. Diggle,” Moira stated.

“Really?” Felicity raised an eyebrow. Inside of her, dread slowly built. Something was off.

“I’m sure he’ll be here in a minute,” Thea said. “He still hasn’t danced with me, you know.”

Felicity laughed, looking at Moira again, but that feeling in her gut didn’t subside. “Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Queen,” she said.

“Please, dear,” Moira said. “I know we might not always have been on the best of terms, but I’d be a fool to not recognize the woman who has helped my son in so many ways. You’ve always been there for him, when he needed you the most.”

Felicity’s face heated up instantly, her heart warming. She bit her lip nervously, feeling Barry shift beside her, but she didn’t feel any discomfort from him.

“Oliver has always been there for me too when things have gotten a bit too overwhelming,” she said solemnly. “Ever since we became friends.”

There was a glint in Moira’s eyes, although Felicity wasn’t ready to think about what it might mean.

“I’m sure things will slow down a bit now that one of our problems has been taken care of,” Moira said.

Felicity raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

Moira looked at her then, genuine surprise falling over her face. “Oliver hasn’t told you?” she asked. Felicity continued to look at her confusedly. “But for God’s sake, you’re his assistant and closest confident,” Moira stated, shaking her head as if she was silently berating her son. Felicity didn’t let the woman’s statement shake her. Moira sighed before continuing, “Oliver managed to convince the board at Queen Consolidated to buy out Isabel Rochev.”

Felicity tensed at the mention of the woman’s name. She remembered how the brunette beauty had treated her and anger welled inside of her for just a moment before confusion took over again. Oliver had bought out Isabel from the company? Was that why Felicity hadn’t seen her around for so long? It had been such a welcome thing that she hadn’t even thought about it. Besides, her mind had been filled with other problems that she hadn’t exactly wanted to be thinking about Isabel.

“He did what?” Felicity finally breathed out, her voice low.

“Oliver made a case to Walter about how he didn’t see why a person who wanted to drive our business into the ground should be allowed to lead our company,” Moira explained. “Walter listened and promised to bring it up at the board meeting today. The deal was finalized this morning and Isabel signed the papers. From what I’ve heard, she was doing some shady business in Russia whenever she traveled there with out company’s plane.”

Felicity was rendered speechless, her eyes wide. She couldn’t believe it and it confused her. She had to speak to Oliver and ask him what all of this was about. Had he gotten rid of Isabel so that she wouldn’t be a reminder of what had happened between them? Had he done it so that he could make amends? What was she even supposed to feel about it?

Looking past Moira’s shoulder, she saw Roy approaching with hurried steps. She picked up on his anxiousness instantly.

“Excuse me for a moment,” she said to her company. She walked quickly and met Roy in the middle. He motioned for her to follow and she did. In the hallway, Diggle met them, sweating and looking worried.

“What’s wrong?” Felicity asked.

“It’s Oliver,” Diggle said. “Your search for the blood wolf finally got a result and Oliver went to hunt it on his own. Tommy just called. He went after him to the harbor and found Oliver passed out between a bunch of crates, a syringe sticking out of his throat.”

Pain shot through Felicity instantly, her heart clenching and she gasped, doubling over.

“Felicity!” Roy exclaimed, his hand on her back. “You need to breathe.”

“Oh my God,” Felicity panted. “Oh my God. We need to get to him! We need to save him!” She could feel her claws extracting, her fangs elongating. The reflection of her glowing eyes stared back at her in the mirror. “I need to go to him,” she snarled, but it quickly turned into a moan of pain.

“Holy fuck, you’re shifting!” Roy exclaimed, removing his hand from her instantly.

“Felicity, calm down!” Diggle said, grabbing her face between his big hands. “Breathe through it and focus. You need to focus if we’re going to save Oliver. Breathe.”

Felicity closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe in through her nose. She let Diggle’s calm voice wash over her and the claws and canine teeth slowly retracted. She breathed, but the urge to run was still there. She had to get to the Foundry, but she wasn’t going to be of any use if whatever poison he had been injected with had already taken hold. If she was this unstable already, there was no way of telling how she would be when she saw Oliver.

Whatever they were going to do, they needed to do it fast. Tommy might have been able to get Oliver back to the Foundry, but they had to get there.

“Roy,” Felicity finally spoke, her voice calm and collected. “You’re staying with Thea and Moira. Don’t tell them anything until we’ve saved Oliver.”

“But, Felicity-”

“I said __don’t__ ,” Felicity said, her eyes glowing. Roy nodded because __that__ , if anything, had been an order. “Before Dig and I leave, I need you to do something for me. We’ll be waiting out in the parking lot. You need to hurry.”

A couple of minutes later, Felicity was standing outside, hands balled into fists at her sides. Diggle was in the car, on the line with Tommy who Felicity knew was freaking out. She tapped her foot on the ground, eyes zeroing in on Roy who was walking toward them with Barry in a tow.

“Felicity? What’s going on?” Barry asked, clearly confused to be dragged out of the party so suddenly.

“I need your help,” Felicity said. “You know chemistry, right? Poisons and stuff like that?”

“Yeah?” Barry answered, frowning.

“Do you still want to believe in the impossible, Barry?” Felicity asked urgently, stepping toward him. “Do you want proof that the impossible can exist?”

Barry gaped at her. “I mean, yeah… Sure?”

“I’m going to need you not to scream or freak out,” Felicity nodded. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Barry looked as if he was about to ask something else, but Felicity took a step back, her fangs slipping out again, eyes glowing as a growl fell from her lips. Barry yelped and took a few steps back, staring at her in horror, shock, but mostly, fascination.

“Oh my God, this can’t be happening,” he mumbled. “I’ve had too much champagne, right? I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

“You’re not dreaming, Barry,” Felicity said, changing back. “I need you to help me, please.”

“I- I’m so confused,” Barry stuttered.

“Can you be confused later?” Diggle asked from the car. “We really need your help.”

Barry slowly nodded, “Okay, okay. I- What do you need?”

Felicity took his hands again. “I need you to save Oliver,” she said, her chest still aching painfully. It took a second, but finally, Barry squeezed her hand.

-§-

She couldn’t have prepared for the sight of him on that med-table. There was no way that she could have prepared herself for it. On some level, she had known what to expect, but seeing Oliver so vulnerable and unconscious, pale and sweating profusely as the poison worked inside of him… Felicity couldn’t breathe.

“Oliver,” she gasped, a sob wracking her body as she stepped toward him. She placed her hands on his cheeks, tears falling from her cheeks. She didn’t even understand the explosion of emotion inside of her, all she knew for certain was that it __hurt.__

Her mind went to when she had been injected with the serum by Nyssa. She remembered how desperate Oliver had been when he had found her. Somewhere, in her subconscious mind, Felicity had been able to hear every plea that fell from his lips. She hadn’t wanted to face what it meant; that he might care for her so deeply. Now, she understood where he had come from because she was useless in this situation, a sobbing mess because the man that she cared for so much was dying right in front of her.

“Of course Oliver is the Arrow,” Barry muttered to himself, working hurriedly with Diggle and Tommy to hook Oliver up to the machines they had in the lair. Felicity could barely hear them through the ringing in her ears.

“Can’t you give him some of your blood?” Tommy asked desperately, but Felicity shook her head.

“No,” Felicity said. “I swore that I wouldn’t. He doesn’t want to turn if he doesn’t survive.”

“Felicity, he is __dying__ ,” Diggle said.

She knew that he was. She was fully aware of it, because it felt as if something was slowly being sucked out of her. If it came down to it, Felicity knew that she would go against Oliver’s wishes. She would give him all of her blood, drain herself completely, only so that he would live. He might hate her forever for it, but at least he would be alive.

“Okay, so it seems like the poison is making his blood clot,” Barry stated. “I… It’s some kind of coagulant, or whatever it is, it’s working that way inside of him. We need to wash it out with blood thinners!” he said, looking around.

Diggle’s face fell, “We don’t have any.”

“You have all these supplies, and you don’t have blood thinners?” Barry stared, sounding desperate now too.

Oliver’s body started convulsing, foam gathering at the corner of his mouth.

“Oliver!” Felicity didn’t even recognize her own scream as she threw herself over him. The machines beeped loudly, his heart rate dropping. “Oliver, no! No, no, no!” Felicity cried, her vision blurred as she held him down with all of her strength. “You don’t get to leave me,” she said. “You don’t get to fucking do that to me!” She could hear his heart slowing, “You don’t get to make me care and then opt out, Oliver! You can’t leave me! Please, don’t leave me…” Her tears fell on his skin as she lifted her head and stared at his face for just a moment. Felicity’s fangs glistened in the light as she lifted her wrist to her mouth, ready to tear the skin there. She was not going to lose him, no matter what. She couldn’t lose him.

“Wait!” Barry suddenly exclaimed. “Rat poison! Rat poison works as a blood thinner too! The same components and- Oh crap, just find me some rat poison!”

Immediately, Diggle and Tommy hurried to get the poison that they kept in one of the cabinets. They gave it to Barry, who prepared a syringe and turned toward Oliver’s still convulsing body. “Felicity, I need you to move,” he said and Felicity hadn’t even realized that she had been laying over Oliver’s bare chest again. Diggle moved toward her and grabbed her gently, pulling her back and away. Barry hesitated, if only for a split second before pushing the needle straight into Oliver’s body, pressing down so that the liquid inside entered his body. Looking over at the numbers on the screen, they waited for any improvement.

A long signal sounded and Felicity’s world seemed to stop spinning.

“ _ _No!__ ”

The painful moan tore through her as her knees buckled. Barry pulled back from Oliver’s body that had gone completely still, his hands in his hair as tears fell from his eyes when he realized that he had failed. Diggle’s grip on Felicity tightened when she started to stand again. She had to feel his skin; she needed to touch him. She pushed Diggle away forcefully, but all the fight inside the older man seemed to have disappeared as well. Felicity stumbled toward Oliver, nearly tripping over her own feet. She felt drained, but the tears kept falling. Leaning over him again, she pressed her cheek against his chest, right where his heart should be beating loudly.

“Please, Oliver,” she whimpered. “I said that we would save you,” she cried. “How am I supposed to-? How-?” Her grip on him tightened and she continued to cry, ear still pressed against his heart. “Oliver, please… I… Oliver, I-”

__Thump._ _

The words died in her mouth as her eyes snapped open. It was faint, but…

__Thump, thump._ _

Lifting her head, she looked up at the monitor, watching with joy as it began picking up a heartbeat again. Another sob fell from her lips, this time from joy.

“Oh, thank God,” Tommy breathed out, sounding choked.

Felicity continued to stare at the numbers and the lines as they showed a regular rhythm. She pressed her cheek back against Oliver’s chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat instead. She breathed out, hearing the comforting thumping that proved that he was still there; that he was still with her. Calm washed over her finally and she took Oliver’s hand in hers, bringing his knuckles to her lips. There was blood on them, which meant that he had put up a fight. She didn’t want to think about it now though, because he still had to wake up. He would be fine, she told herself.

He had to be.

-§-

It took a few hours, but finally, Oliver did open his eyes. He was tired and felt as if he had been hit by a truck. Though, he couldn’t complain. At least he was alive. There was a weight on his chest and Oliver recognized the smell of Felicity’s shampoo instantly, his grip on the hand that was clutching his tightening automatically.

“Oliver,” Felicity whispered against his skin and finally, he looked down at her.

Her hair was a mess, there was mascara all over her face and her eyes were red and puffy. He frowned when he realized that she had been crying. Then, slowly, everything began coming back to him.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” he mumbled. He had made the mistake of going out on a hunt when his mind wasn’t clear. It had nearly cost him his life.

“You stayed,” Felicity said and he was confused, because he had no idea what she was talking about. He was clearly missing something because Felicity began sitting up, her hand still clutching his. She didn’t seem to be ready to let go yet, but Oliver was fine with that. Her being there meant everything to him.

“Oliver, I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to be mad,” Felicity said. “It’s about Barry.”

“Felicity,” Oliver rasped, shaking his head lightly. “It’s okay. I saw you guys and I… I just want you to be happy.”

Felicity frowned then, clearly confused.

“The balcony,” Oliver clarified, pain shooting through him as he slowly started to sit up.

“Oh… __Oh!__ ” Felicity’s eyes widened and Oliver would have laughed at her expression if it didn’t hurt so goddamn much. “No, that’s not- Oliver, we can talk about that later, but what you need to know is that Barry was the one who saved your life.”

This made Oliver frown for just a moment. He turned, looking around the Foundry, but found that he and Felicity were on their own. “Barry was __here__ ,” Oliver said. “You told him about-?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” she was quick to defend. “Oliver, you were dying and I knew that you would hate me if you died and turned into a vampire or a wolf or whatever else. There was no choice to make.”

Oliver stared at her, thinking about everything that must have gone down while he was unconscious. He searched Felicity’s face and found that he couldn’t be angry with her for revealing his secret to Barry. If it came down to her life, Oliver was certain there was nothing he wouldn’t do to save her.

“I’m not mad,” he said carefully. “Where is Barry now?”

“Upstairs, with Diggle,” Felicity said. “Tommy left to tell the others that you’re fine but that you’ll be out for tonight. We figured it would be better if he told Thea and your mom.”

“Why are they upstairs?” Oliver frowned again.

“After the night that we’ve all had, they both needed a drink, I think,” Felicity said. “Also, neither of us knew how you’d react to the news that another person knows about your secret identity, which quite frankly, isn’t much of a secret anymore.”

Oliver chuckled, despite himself. Felicity smiled and then, it was a bit easier to breathe again. It was brief though, because a moment later, Felicity stepped toward him. “I thought I was going to lose you,” she said, pressing her face into the crook of his shoulder.

“You didn’t,” Oliver said, gently stroking her back, realizing that she still hadn’t changed out of her dress. “You won’t ever, I swear.”

Felicity just held him tighter and Oliver continued to breathe, holding her just as tightly.

-§-

The creature that had attacked Oliver, Cyrus Gold had disappeared without a trace. Not that they had been actively searching for him for the past two days. Oliver had needed some time to recover, despite his protests that he was fine. The circumstances of the Nightcrawler that had almost killed Oliver were strange though. Oliver had told the team what he had seen that night, describing the monster as something of a cross between blood wolf and lethalis shifter. Diggle had pointed out that it was an impossible form of a hybrid, but Oliver insisted that it was what he had seen. Felicity believed him, despite the fact that it was unheard of. A cross between blood wolf and a shapeshifter, a lethalis one at that? It was a scary thought. Barry had kindfully pointed out that everything about them should be impossible, but they were still there and that had pretty much closed the case on that one. The team decided to focus on their main mission again, knowing that if the creature ever came back and they crossed paths with it, they would figure out how to beat it, together.

Felicity had been thinking a lot about everything that had happened, everything that had changed. She hadn’t talked to Oliver about the kiss he had witnessed between her and Barry, although she knew that she would have to eventually. So far, she had been at Oliver’s side constantly, not quite wanting to be separated from him until she could make sure that the rat poison hadn’t done something to him as well. Oliver seemed fine, however, and he was happy to ignore his mother and sister’s irritation at finding out that he had been poisoned. Nevertheless, Barry had postponed his trip back to Central City for long enough and both Felicity and Oliver had insisted on coming to wave him off. Actually, Felicity had wanted to, but she had given Oliver a look that said that he didn’t have another choice but to come with her.

Now, they stood waiting on the train. Oliver had gracefully shaken Barry’s hand and the scientist had given his word that he wouldn’t tell anyone about Oliver’s secret identity.

“I’m sorry for having been such an ass toward you,” Oliver said, shocking both Felicity and Barry.

“It’s okay,” Barry said, shaking his hand. “I understand why you were like that,” he added and Felicity could have sworn that she saw Barry look at her from the corner of his eyes. Oliver pressed his lips together and nodded curtly.

“Good luck, Barry,” he said. “If you ever need anything-”

“He’ll contact me and I’ll ease you into a partnership,” Felicity grinned, bumping Oliver’s side. Oliver shook his head, but smiled nonetheless.

“I’ll give the two of you a moment,” he said, clearing her throat. He glanced at Felicity before walking away. He stopped at a safe distance, where he wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation, but where Felicity could still see him and he could see her.

“So,” Barry started, clapping his hands together. “I knew you were amazing, Ms. Smoak, but I had no idea just how much you would change my life.”

Felicity smiled sheepishly, “Oh, Barry. You have such a way with words.”

“I don’t actually, but I guess you bring out the best in me,” he chuckled. He looked past her, toward Oliver before finally meeting Felicity’s eyes again. “Look, I know it’s not any of my business, but I think you should tell him,” he said. Felicity paused and bit her lip. She knew that he was talking about Oliver. Barry had been there when she had thought that she had lost him and she was certain that her feelings for the man who was standing further away from them had been evident.

“And you should tell Iris,” Felicity countered teasingly.

“Touché,” Barry smiled and they both laughed.

After a moment of hesitation, Felicity sighed. “I have something to tell you before you leave,” she said. “Take it however you will, but please, don’t jump to conclusions right away, okay?”

“Felicity, I hardly think that you can say anything that will be more of a shock to me than everything that I’ve seen these past few days,” Barry pointed out.

Felicity chewed on her lower lip. “I think you’re a witch,” she blurted.

Barry stared at her again. “Okay, I take back what I just said,” he told her, shaking his head. “Could you repeat that, please?”

“I think you’re a witch,” Felicity said again. “Well, a wizard. You’re a wizard, Barry.” She laughed at her own joke but Barry seemed to be in too much shock to do so. Felicity finally sighed. “Okay, as a hybrid, I pick up on supernatural creatures. Some hide their nature better than others, but most of the time, I can tell when someone isn’t human. I got a feeling inside my gut when I met you, and after everything you told me about your mom… I think she was a witch and that the thing that killed her, was a shifter,” she explained quickly. “I understand that this is a lot to take in and I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but I thought you deserved to know.”

Barry just continued to gape at her before swallowing thickly, nodding slowly. “You think my mom was a witch and that she was killed by a shifter,” he repeated back to her.

Felicity nodded, “It would explain how she managed to transport you all the way down the street. She must have been powerful, Barry. That might have made her a target because witches are rare nowadays.”

“And the shifter?” Barry asked.

“A lethalis one,” Felicity said. “They have the ability to shift into other humans, unlike the bellua who only change into animals. It must have taken the shape of your father.”

“This is so messed up,” Barry said, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been looking for answers for so long and now, things are finally making sense… But how am I going to get my father out of prison if I can’t even reveal the truth without being put in an institution?”

“One thing at a time,” Felicity said. “This is all speculation based on what you’ve told me and what I’ve sensed. You have witches blood inside of you, but your powers are latent. You need to figure yourself out before you can do anything else, Barry, but digging into things like these… It can be dangerous.”

“Because it got my mom killed,” Barry said, nodding again. “Okay… I’ll try to figure out myself first and then, I’ll look for answers about my mom. I promise to be careful.”

“Good,” Felicity said. “I’m sorry to spring all of this on you, but I couldn’t let you leave without knowing.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I appreciate you telling me. Thank you, for everything. I mean it. If you ever need me, I’ll be here in a heartbeat. I swear.”

Felicity smiled again and stepped into him, hugging him tightly. “What else are friends for?”

-§-

Felicity joined Oliver again after Barry finally got on the train. She had promised him that she would send him all of her own research on Dark Ones so that he could study all the facts and try to make sense of this new world that he had officially been thrown into. A part of Felicity was glad that she had been able to set Barry on the right path, but another part was worried about what he might uncover.

She and Oliver walked to the limo together, settling in as Oliver gave the driver instructions to take them to Queen Consolidated. There were a lot of things to figure out still, but Felicity knew they were moving in the right direction. She thought about Barry’s words to her as she looked at Oliver who was sitting in front of her. He seemed deep in thought as he stared out the window.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Isabel?” Felicity asked suddenly. Now that things were settling down again, she could finally talk to him about that.

Oliver cringed at the name before looking at Felicity. “My mother told you,” he realized.

Felicity nodded, “Why didn’t you?”

Oliver watched her silently for a beat. “I didn’t know how to bring it up without making it sound like I was doing it for us,” he admitted.

“Were you?” Felicity wondered. “Doing it for us, I mean.”

“No,” Oliver answered. “Maybe. I don’t know.” He seemed frustrated because he couldn’t find the right words to explain it. “I didn’t want the woman anywhere near my family’s company anymore,” he finally said. “I saw the damage that she was doing, I heard the rumors she was spreading… She was destructive and I wanted her gone, so I bought her out now that mom’s funds aren’t frozen anymore.” He hesitated before speaking again, “Getting her away from you was just another plus.”

Felicity couldn’t deny that. Going to work certainly wouldn’t suck anymore knowing that Isabel wouldn’t be waiting to sneak up on her whenever she was alone.

“Taking Isabel out of the picture won’t erase what happened, Oliver,” Felicity said softly.

“I know that,” Oliver replied, seriously. He sounded like he meant it and she knew that he wasn’t just saying it. What had happened between them in Russia might have damaged them, but they were better now. Months had passed and Felicity had worked through some of things that she had felt. It still bothered her that it had even happened, but she couldn’t deny that she and Oliver weren’t friends. They cared about one another and had made it clear that no matter what happened, they would put each other above all. Maybe they weren’t ready to define what they were slowly becoming, but Felicity wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize what they had finally built back up again.

“I’m glad that we’re friends again,” she told him, deciding that one small label wouldn’t hurt them. Oliver smiled at her so brightly that her chest expanded at the sight. She couldn’t help but smile back at him before she moved so that she could sit down beside him, letting her head fall on his shoulder. “And it’s not just because you got that despicable woman kicked out of our company,” she added, almost teasingly. Oliver’s laugh was worth the comment though and Felicity couldn’t help but laugh along before burrowing into him and tightening her grip around his arm when Oliver pressed his lips against her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and continuously supporting this fic, despite my absence! I love all of you so much for sticking with me through everything and I truly appreciate everything you have to say. Thank you a hundred times. I love you and goodnight (because it's like 1 AM and I'm exhausted. All mistakes are mine!). xx


	25. The Mirakuru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month passes, everyone keeps busy and Oliver's past starts haunting him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that I wasn't able to reply to all of your comments. I read all of them and I really appreciate that you keep taking the time to tell me your thoughts on my story. I've been having some technical difficulties with my Internet at home, so I am currently at the school library updating this chapter. I'll go back and reply to your comments on the previous one as soon as I "borrow" my baby brothers computer. Either way, this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one and there will be a time jump. Things are coming together. Enjoy!

**Hunted**

**Chapter 25: The Mirakuru**

 

The weeks that followed Barry’s departure were hectic. The team, along with Thea and Moira, forced Oliver to lay low for a couple of days after he had recovered from being poisoned. Oliver had protested, not liking the fact that only Diggle, Felicity and Roy were allowed to hunt while he had to stay back with Tommy in the Foundry. He had been certain that his mother would try to forbid him from going out on the street permanently, and he would have stood his ground against her, but it hadn’t been necessary. Instead, his mother had once again seemed oddly accepting of his extracurricular activities, opting to just tell him to not hunt alone anymore.

Oliver would be foolish though, if he said that resting for a week hadn’t helped him. During the first couple of days after waking up, he had been a bit disoriented. Spells of dizziness hit him in the most untimely moments, causing him to falter in his step and stumble forward. He was lucky though, because Felicity was always there to steady him, holding on to his arm until his vision focused again. Oliver couldn’t help but be thankful toward her. After everything that they had been through, she had remained by his side and with time, she had forgiven him for his mistakes and accepted his friendship once more.

The problem for Oliver, however, wasn’t that. No, his problem was the fact that ever since he had been cleared to hunt by Diggle, Felicity had started taking the train to Central City every five days. She didn’t stay away for more than a day, but it bothered Oliver and he knew very well that it was as simple as him being jealous of what she had with Barry. 

Felicity had told him what she had figured out about Barry’s ancestry. Diggle had been a sceptic the moment he had heard the word “witches”, but Oliver had come across them before, in Hong Kong and later, on Lian Yu. He knew that they existed, but in Starling City, he hadn’t heard of a single one, which was most likely why Diggle didn’t believe it at first. Only when Felicity had started explaining how witches were actually humans who learned to do magic through the elements, showing Diggle pictures from some old books that Barry had found among his mother’s old things in the attic, did Diggle believe her. Of course, it was a difficult thing to grasp, but Tommy seemed to be absolutely fascinated by it too, as was Roy.

Whenever Felicity returned from Central City, she always smiled so brightly, that it almost hurt Oliver to look at her. Knowing that Barry had given her something that Oliver himself never could, gave him nothing more than heartache. It didn’t help that he had seen the two of them kissing at the party that Thea had thrown all those weeks ago.

The kiss was something that they hadn’t talked about, but Oliver figured that it wasn’t any of his business. No matter how much it hurt him to know that Felicity was with someone else, all he could ever wish for was that she was  _ happy _ . He had told her as much when he had woken up after being poisoned, and he knew that Felicity had started to say something about the kiss, but they had gotten sidetracked, as they always did. Oliver hadn’t wanted to bring it up again because it just hurt too damn much to think of it. It was better to just let it be and continue to be Felicity’s friend now that they had finally returned to being comfortable around one another. Talking about her and Barry would only cause him pain, so whenever Roy tried to tell him to talk to Felicity, he shut the younger man down. Oliver didn’t understand why Roy kept insisting that both Felicity and him were being stupid, but he wasn’t going to get into it. They were partners before everything else and being friends with Felicity was important to Oliver. If he had to swallow his own pain every time he overheard her talking happily about all the progress Barry was making in such a short time, then that was exactly what he would do.

-§-

Felicity ducked out of the way when Roy pounced at her. Grinning at his frustrated huff, she stood her ground when he came at her again, twisting around him before tapping him on the shoulder.

“Point,” she said happily.

“Not fair,” Roy groaned. “You’re both faster  _ and  _ stronger than me. There’s no full moon to even things out a it and you’re a  _ hybrid _ ,” he enunciated, throwing his hands up in the air.

Felicity looked at him as she released her hair from her hairband, starting to re-tie her ponytail. He was red in the face and looked mildly annoyed, but she knew that he was stronger than he thought; she believed in him.

“Your opponents aren’t always going to be wolves, Roy,” Felicity said. “We’ve fought a lot of different things in Starling, but you have to know that there are more creatures out there.”

“Like the one that almost killed Oliver, right?” Roy asked.

His words instantly caused Felicity to tense as she thought of what had almost happened all those weeks ago; how she had almost lost Oliver because he had gone out hunting for what he had believed to be a blood wolf, only to find out that it was something worse. She still had a difficulty wrapping her head around this new hybrid that Oliver believed he had faced. When he had told her that it seemed like a mixture of blood wolf and lethalis shifter, she hadn’t been able to believe that such a monster existed. Then again, hybrids were rare as it was. Or rather, naturally made hybrids were rare. Whatever the Master was injecting wolves with to force them to turn, couldn’t be anything natural. She had been aware of that all along. For so long, she had hated the creature that she had become, but now, she knew that she had a choice when it came to consuming blood. She didn’t need it and it would make her vampire part latent. On the other hand, she knew that it would also make her more vulnerable, which was why she had started to drink a drop or two of blood whenever she and Roy went out hunting or training in the woods. It gave her body enough energy to keep the vampire-side going, along with the heightened senses, but her wolf-side would always remain stronger, just like she wanted it to be.

“Yeah,” Felicity finally swallowed, finishing with tying her hair up again. “Like the thing that almost killed Oliver.”

Roy nodded slowly, running his hand through his sweaty hair. He was deep in thought once more, but Felicity didn’t want him to be distracted. She was very well aware of the fact that her beta worried. While he was working with her and the team, he had his role to play in their small pack of two as well. She tried not to put too much pressure on him, but among wolves, the responsibility sort of came on it’s own, naturally. Felicity knew that Roy would always be ready to throw himself in the mouth of the wolf for her _ \- No pun intended. _ If it ever came down to it, he would do anything for her, just like she would do anything for him. That was what it meant to be a part of a pack and deep down, Felicity knew that this feeling had extended toward the rest of the team as well, on both her side and Roy’s. There was a loyalty there that had built on the foundation of their friendship. Wolves felt things stronger than humans, Felicity knew, which meant that the simplest of friendships could quickly become more meaningful partnerships and partnerships, in turn, could become something else.

Something  _ more. _

Her mind flooded with thoughts of Oliver and how much it had hurt her to see him unconscious. She remembered the pain in her chest when his heart had stopped and she never wanted to go through such a thing ever again. That was why she hovered, even when she denied it to herself and everyone else. Whenever she left for Central City to help Barry, her mind went back to the man she left behind in Starling City and the truth of what she felt got harder to deny. Every time she visited Barry, she made sure to tell Roy to watch over things. Roy always gave her a knowing look, telling her silently that he was well aware of the fact that she meant that he should watch over Oliver, specifically. Her beta knew her well because sometimes, she forgot to stop sharing too much of her own mind with him. He had seen her thoughts a couple of times, he had  _ felt  _ her pain when Oliver’s heart had stopped. Their minds hadn’t been linked, but through the bond they shared as a pack, he had felt everything that she had felt and he had been certain that Oliver had died.

“You know,” Roy started slowly, “you can’t keep running from what you feel.”

Felicity turned to him sharply, closing off her mind once more. They didn’t share thoughts unless one of them was in wolf-form, but emotions had become easier to pick up on since the wolf part of her had grown stronger again.

“I’m not,” she insisted, knowing very well that it was a lie. How was she supposed to tell Oliver what she felt when she wasn’t sure of it herself? She knew about Roy’s beliefs; she knew how he thought that she and Oliver were essentially soulmates and how they had always been meant to be, no matter how hard they fought it. How would she present such a crazy idea to Oliver now that they were finally friends again?

Felicity thought of Roy again and how much he struggled with his position, both in the team and the pack sometimes. It all stemmed from the bond he shared with Thea. They were mates in every sense of the word and Felicity knew that they had chosen each other. For Roy, there would probably never be anyone else and if things kept going like they were, there wouldn’t be for Thea either. It was difficult for Roy because Felicity knew that every fiber of his being was constantly screaming at him to keep Thea safe, no matter what. It didn’t matter if his pack bond told him to watch over Felicity, or his instincts told him to trust their team. If it came down to it and Thea was in danger, he would choose his mate. Felicity could sense the guilt in Roy and she knew that he was torn about it. She had told him too many times already that in her eyes, his only mission would be to always keep Thea safe, no matter what happened to her or anyone else. It made things a bit easier on him, but he still hesitated. The night that Oliver had been attacked, Felicity had ordered him to stay with Moira and Thea, because she had known that deep down, he needed to be with his mate who was also at the risk of being attacked. They hadn’t known what they were dealing with and it was just like he had said that night: They had a habit of being attacked during parties. Felicity hadn’t wanted to risk it, knowing that it would destroy Roy, just like she knew losing Oliver would destroy her. That was what she feared, most of all. Giving into the bond that Roy believed that she and Oliver shared would bind her to him forever. It was something that she wasn’t sure Oliver would be able to understand or accept. Being rejected by one’s chosen mate was the worst thing that could happen to a wolf and she wasn’t sure she could handle being rejected again. It had taken her months to get over it and forgive Oliver fully, but she knew that if it would happen again, she would never want to see him again because it would just hurt too much.

Roy huffed, shaking his head at her, bringing her out of her thoughts once more. “Yeah,” he said, “keep telling yourself that.”

Felicity shot him a glare and growled lightly, eyes flashing gold as her sharp teeth shone in the sun. She lifted her arms up and got into fighting position. “Hand to hand combat,” she told him. “You win and you won’t have to train for a week.”

“Two weeks,” Roy bargained, “and if I win, you also have to tell Oliver the truth.”

“You don’t have any ground to stand on, Roy,” Felicity countered. “Don’t push it and let’s go because I have to be at Queen Consolidated before noon.”

Roy charged-

-and ended up on the ground, with a grinning Felicity standing over him.

-§-

Oliver checked his watch for what felt like the hundredth time, tapping his foot against the floor. It was half past twelve and Felicity still hadn’t come into the office. He knew she was out in the woods outside of Starling City, training with Roy, but she knew that they had a video conference scheduled at one o’clock and he wanted her there with him. Whenever he was alone, his mind always ended up wandering. Normally, it was to Lian Yu and those five years that he had been gone, but lately, he thought of other things that worried him.

Since being attacked by that new hybrid, Oliver had noticed a steady rise in Dark One activity and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was all somehow connected. It seemed almost as if there were more ravenous creatures roaming the streets at night, all of them getting more and more out of control. Oliver thought about Lian Yu again, remembering his old master’s and what they had taught him. When something seemed to be connected, and one’s gut told one that it was, it usually was. Things didn’t always have to be complicated, but Oliver hoped that what his gut was telling him now was wrong. He thought about the drug that he had happened upon on the Island; the substance that he had thought he had destroyed in order to stop it from ever spreading over the world. What if he hadn’t gotten all of it? What if there had been another crate left, hidden somewhere in the depths of purgatory? Oliver stared at the glass door of his office, at Felicity’s empty seat in the other room. He knew that he had to tell the rest of his team about his suspicions, but he was going on nothing more than the symptoms of the crazed monsters that they hunted at night. He had no solid proof that it was the mirakuru drug.

Oliver and the rest of the team had speculated about how the Master was turning wolves into hybrids and due to the serum that Nyssa al Ghul had injected Felicity with, they knew that Felicity too had been given some kind of injection to turn her into a hybrid. Oliver was certain that it couldn’t have been pure mirakuru, because otherwise, Felicity wouldn’t have been able to control herself from becoming a savage. Yet, Felicity had never actually killed anyone.

Something was missing and he couldn’t figure it out. There was a piece missing and he had to talk to the others, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up. Things were difficult enough as they were with them hunting every single night, to the point of exhaustion. Roy was getting antsy with the many training sessions that Felicity had organized for the two of them. Tommy, while eager to help them, also had to balance his life with Laurel. At the same time, he also had his family business to take care of now that his father was dead. The thought of Malcolm still made Oliver angry. It was a betrayal that he never would have expected and he thought sometimes of how different things might have ended up if he had listened to what Felicity had said from the very beginning. She had always sensed that something was off with the man, but Oliver had been too caught up in hating her to hear her out or investigate it further. He had been another man back then, angry and closed off, not wanting to hear anyones opinion other than his own. Diggle had been his only partner, a brother that he valued highly, but never allowed to get too close to him. Then, Felicity had come crashing into his life with a mission that seemed to be impossible. Yet, she had won his trust and continued to earn it, over and over again. Today, Tommy, his mother and his sister knew of his secret identity and he had a real team that worked together to take down the Nightcrawlers that threatened the humans at night. They were all a well-oiled machine, a family, more than anything. Oliver couldn’t imagine that it would have been possible without Felicity, to keep them all together. She had seen what he had needed before he had known it himself. In the beginning, he had thought that his curse would be to always be alone and never let his family and friends close to him. Instead, Felicity had helped him realize that they were what made him strong and kept him motivated to keep going because they all believed in him and his cause. He was no longer just a hunter, like in the beginning. Now, he was a protector as well.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, Oliver,” Felicity said, stepping into the room. Her high-heels clicked against the floor and Oliver took a look at her, enjoying the flush of her cheeks and the way that her hair still seemed to be a bit wet, despite the fact that she had clearly tried to dry it before coming here. “Apparently, everyone in Starling City decided to eat lunch out. The streets are filled with cars and not even my mini could make it through the rush.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “You’re here now.” He glanced at the pattern of her dress, liking the black and white that contrasted against each other. She had opted for painting her lips a lighter pink this time around and her thick-rimmed glasses that she didn’t actually need were in their place. He wasn’t sure why she still wore them, considering that his mother knew very well that a hybrids vision was as perfect as it could get. She didn’t have much of a cover to maintain anymore that she couldn’t pull off without the glasses. Then again, getting that look from her, where she pushed the glasses up her nose after eyeing him over the frames… It got his blood racing and made him feel warm all over.

Maybe he should ask her to not wear them anymore because he was sure that she wouldn’t appreciate him watching her so intently now that she was with Barry. Besides, he knew how to control himself because he had been doing it for so many months already. She had been with his team for well over a year now, closing in on two, and he didn’t think he had ever given away the fact that he’d had a bunch of dirty dreams about her. It might had started off like that. Like an unwanted physical attraction that he wanted to deny at all costs. Over time, it grew to become something else entirely. He became friends with her, partners and then later, something more. He hadn’t realized how deeply he had fallen until he lost her and it hurt him to know that they would never be like that again. He loved her and that was why he needed to let her go. Felicity deserved to have everything she wanted and Oliver would never stand in the way of her happiness.

Even though he would never get to be the one to make her happy again.

-§-

There was something going on with Oliver. Felicity knew it, deep in her heart. She could also feel the tension rolling off of him after the conference with some of their partners in China. He only replied curtly or with hums and Felicity had simply sat there and observed him while handing him the spreadsheets that she had printed out for the meeting. Once they were done, Oliver stood from his seat and started for their offices immediately, not lingering at all to wait for her. She quickly got tired of his pissy attitude and the moment they were alone in their office again, she walked up to his desk and promptly asked him what the hell his problem was.

“What?” Oliver snapped, his eyebrows furrowing at her.

Felicity placed her folder on the desk and glared at him, “I said, what’s your problem? Has something happened that I don’t know of or what?”

“Nothing has happened,” Oliver said. “It’s just annoying me that we’ve been looking for the Master for almost two years now and we still haven’t figured out anything. Things are escalating on the streets but we have nothing to go on whatsoever.”

She could hear the frustration in his voice. Felicity felt it inside of her as well. When she had taken the serum that Nyssa had offered her, she had believed that they might learn something more useful. Instead, she had only learned that whatever the Master had injected her with, might be reversible.

“We’ll handle it, Oliver,” she assured him before frowning. “What do you mean by escalating?”

Oliver huffed, “If you hadn’t been too busy running off to your boyfriend all the time, you might have taken notice that there’s been an increase of Dark Ones on the streets at night.”

Felicity’s mouth fell open as she took in his words. “Excuse me? My  _ boyfriend? _ ” she questioned.

“In Central City,” Oliver continued to glare, crossing his arms. For a moment, she thought she might have seen pain flash over his face, as if saying the words hurt him physically.

“In Central… Are you talking about  _ Barry? _ ” Felicity asked, staring at him. Oliver shrugged, looking away from her momentarily. She walked around the desk, grabbed the chair that he was sitting on and forced him to turn around to look at her. He glanced up and she could see  _ something  _ swimming in his baby blues, something that she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk to him about just yet. “Barry isn’t my boyfriend, Oliver,” she said, to clarify. “You know I’ve been helping him with figuring out his ancestry. There’s nothing more going on there, I swear.”

Oliver hesitated, she could tell, but a glimmer of hope shone through in his eyes as well. She took a step back as he stood up from his seat, towering over her despite the high-heels she wore. Suddenly, he felt too close.

“But at the party… I saw you two…” Oliver mumbled. It took her a moment to realize that he was talking about the kiss that he had witnessed between her and Barry at Moira’s welcome home party. With Oliver getting poisoned and her having to reveal his identity to Barry, she hadn’t actually taken the time to talk to him about what he had seen. Since she and Barry both agreed that they were better off as friends because they clearly had feelings for other people, the whole thing had escaped her mind. She hadn’t thought about it until now that Oliver had mentioned it again.

“Oliver,” she started, her voice soft. “That didn’t mean anything,” she explained. “Barry and I are just friends and the kiss was just me trying to figure out if I could get over…” She trailed off, eyes wide as she stared up at the man in front of her. Oliver watched her carefully, taking a step closer. His chest brushed up against hers and slowly, the familiar currents began running through her bloodstream. The electrifying feeling of having him so close to her again, after everything that they had gone through was almost overwhelming. She had missed him more than she ever could have imagined.

“Get over what?” Oliver asked, his voice low and raspy. His warm breath fanned over her face and Felicity drew in a shaky breath, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. She wasn’t sure if she was going to pull him closer or push him away, but before she could do anything, the sound of the elevator and quick footsteps forced her to pull back and away from him. Her face was warm and she didn’t have to look at Oliver to know that there was a confused look on his face. When Thea entered the room, he seemed to understand why she had stepped back so suddenly, but Felicity still wouldn’t meet his eyes.

Thea paused, probably at the sight of them standing so close together. They might not have been facing one another when she had walked into the room, but they were still close enough that Felicity could feel Oliver’s body heat radiating off of him. For a moment, Felicity was certain that Thea was going to say something about the lack of personal space between them, but Thea’s expression only twisted into one of worry.

“Felicity, did Roy go training with you today?” she asked.

It took Felicity a second, but she frowned, “Yes? Why do you ask?”

Thea took out her phone and started typing a text message before speaking again. “He was supposed to meet me for lunch, but he never showed up. I’ve tried calling and texting, but he’s not responding at all,” Thea explained.

“He went home to change, but I went to the Foundry since I had left some notes there,” Felicity said, worry creeping into her. Something was off, clearly. It wasn’t like Roy to stand up Thea. The young man was incapable of doing something that he knew would hurt her. Felicity took out her own phone and tried calling, but it went directly to voicemail. Frowning, she looked at Oliver who was sending a message too, looking worried. The conversation they’d had would have to wait until they found Roy and made sure he was all right. Oliver glanced up then, meeting her eyes and she knew that he agreed. Finding Roy was their priority and they would, Felicity was certain of it.

-§-

They searched for Roy all day long. Oliver cancelled all meetings at Queen Consolidated and Felicity left shortly after to go up to the roof. She didn’t have to explain to him why she wanted to go there, because Oliver suspected that she might be trying to catch Roy’s scent. The look she had on her face when she returned told Oliver that her attempt had been unsuccessful.

“There’s just too much people in circulation,” she had said. “I’ll need to try tonight… Maybe drink some blood to heighten my own senses.” 

Oliver had recognized the distaste in her voice. He knew how she had never liked the whole vampire part of herself and since finding out that there might be a way to reverse her becoming a hybrid, she had barely been drinking any blood at all. This was Roy, though. Oliver knew there wasn’t anything Felicity wouldn’t do to find the young man who was also her beta.

Late that night, Thea joined them in the Foundry. Tommy was going to be keeping track of things while Oliver, Diggle and Felicity went out on the streets in search for Roy. Felicity had caught a hint of his scent once the city settled down a bit. It was faint, although Felicity insisted that it was enough to go on for now because it would get stronger once they closed in on Roy’s location.

“ _ I wish we could go one week without someone being kidnapped or injected with some kind of mysterious serum-slash-poison _ ,” Tommy spoke in the comm-link. Oliver stood at the edge of the apartment building, looking at Felicity who was crouching nearby, listening and sniffing the air as her eyes glowed.

“Technically, Tommy, it’s been over a month since the last attack we suffered,” she said, her voice calm. Despite that, Oliver knew her, and he was fully aware of how worried she was for Roy. They all were.

“ _ I’m keeping an eye on things from the other side of the street, _ ” Diggle informed them. “ _ This factory has been abandoned for well over a year now. No suspicious activity according to Lance. _ ”

“The corrupt part of the police force could have covered up something,” Oliver stated. “If the scent Felicity caught took us here, we should be careful when we go in.” Felicity stood up and Oliver turned to look at her, momentarily cutting off the comms. “You okay?” he asked. She did the same as him, turning her comm-link off before responding.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded. “Are you?”

Oliver looked over at the building before nodding. “It’s good to have you by my side,” he admitted, now that he knew that the others couldn’t hear them. “When we go in, no unnecessary risks, all right?”

“You’re telling me,” Felicity scoffed, her lips quirking up just a little. “I’m following your lead tonight… Partner.”

Something inside Oliver’s chest warmed and he nodded curtly at her once more before they turned on the comms again. “Dig, I’m going to need you to head in through the main entrance. Felicity will sneak in with me through the back and we’ll meet up inside. Tommy, you sent Dig the blueprints, right?”

“ _ Done and done _ ,” Tommy replied. “ _ I managed to turn on the security cameras inside, but there’s one room that I couldn’t get them to work. I’m guessing that’s where Roy is being held and where all the bad guys are. Third floor, down the hall, to the left. It’s where one of the main laboratories used to be. _ ”

“Okay,” Oliver said. “We’re shutting the comms off for now. We’ll get back to you as soon as we get Roy.”

“ _ Copy that _ ,” Tommy said. “ _ Be safe. _ ”

Oliver took out one of his arrows and attached the zip-line to it, aiming at the emergency exit on the other building. He took the shot and the arrowhead opened up and hooked onto the railing. Pulling on the line twice, he made sure that it was fastened well before securing it where he stood. Oliver turned to Felicity and reached out to her. She took his hand and he ignored the feeling at the tips of his fingers when they brushed hers. Felicity had taken to wearing fingerless leather gloves tonight, due to the fact that it was getting colder. In fact, most of her clothes were black tonight as she tried to melt in with the darkness. Oliver pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around him as they stood on the edge together. Looking down, he met her eyes briefly.

“Hold on tight,” he said, but it was low, like a whisper.

He felt her grip on him tighten instantly and for just a second, her forehead dropped against his leather-clad chest. “Don’t drop me,” she told him.

“Never,” Oliver promised, his arm wrapping around her waist before he jumped with her.

Felicity was prepared for the landing, jumping when they were just a few feet away from the emergency staircase. She grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up and then turning to Oliver who was on the level below her. He grinned at her when she reached down and helped pull him up.

“That went surprisingly well,” she said before pausing. “I can hear movement inside… There’s some kind of buzzing sound too. Something is spinning.”

“Diggle, are you ready?” Oliver asked, tapping his comm-link.

“ _ Stepping in now, _ ” Diggle replied. “ _ I’ll meet the two of you inside, like we said. _ ”

Without wasting any more time, the two of them got the window open and climbed inside. Oliver had an arrow nocked and Felicity led the way by following Roy’s scent. Halfway to the place that Tommy had directed them to, they met up with Diggle. They only acknowledged each other with nods before continuing down the hallway. Oliver couldn’t help but note how eerie quiet it was. Whatever Felicity had heard outside, there didn’t seem to be anyone in the building with them. Still, his gut continued to scream at him that they needed to keep their eyes open.

Felicity stopped them outside the laboratory, holding her finger to her lips in a motion for them to stay quiet. Her eyes flashed golden briefly and she held up six fingers. Oliver gathered that she had picked up on six hybrids inside the room and he quickly turned to Diggle for confirmation. His other partner nodded back.

When they entered the room, Oliver took a quick count, only seeing five Dark Ones who were all wearing labcoats. They turned at the same time toward them, hissing as their fangs elongated, dropping the charts they held in their hands. They pounced immediately and Diggle fired the first shot, hitting one of them with a sedative in the shoulder. It didn’t seem to faze the hybrid much because it kept coming at them and Oliver shot an arrow into its leg to slow it down, at least. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity jump at one of them, fist out as she punched it straight in the face. She must have used all of her hybrid strength because the creature stumbled back, momentarily stunned. Oliver took another shot and hit the hybrid with one of the special-made tranquilizer arrows in the throat. The Nightcrawler fell unconscious to the floor and Oliver was glad that Felicity had made sure his arrows were loaded with an extra strong mixture of wolfsbane and vervain.

They fought with the remaining hybrids, working together. The hybrids that Oliver and Diggle took down, Felicity made quick work to tie up. It took a couple of minutes because the hybrids seemed to regain their power quicker somehow. Felicity was forced to send a swift kick to one of the monster’s heads to make sure that it would stay down.

Panting, Oliver lowered his bow as he looked at the creatures that were tied up. Diggle stepped forward and injected them with another dose of vervain and wolfsbane mixture that they had been supplied with by A.R.G.U.S. after Felicity had asked Lyla to get it done for them. There was only so much poison she could make before the fumes got to her and Oliver knew that even though Felicity mostly worked with a mask covering her nose and mouth, she forgot about time sometimes and the mixture managed to weaken her because of it.

“Roy,” Felicity said suddenly and Oliver looked over at her. She was standing by a bed and Oliver instantly recognized Roy’s unconscious form. When Oliver stepped closer, he noted that Roy was connected to a bunch of machines and there was a buzzing from one of them.

“What are they doing to him?” Oliver frowned, feeling Diggle step closer too.

“They’re… Transfusing his blood?” Diggle said, but it came out sounding more like a question.

Felicity seemed dazed for a moment and Oliver reached out to her. She flinched away and closed her eyes before opening them again, turning to stare wide-eyed at both him and Diggle. “I sensed six hybrids,” she said, looking back at Roy who didn’t move. His chest was moving up and down steadily and from what Oliver could tell, his vitals seemed to be good. “They’re turning him,” Felicity said, her voice shaky.

“They’re turning him into a hybrid?” Diggle asked urgently.

“We need to unhook him,” Oliver said, but Felicity shook her head.

“He’s in the middle of transitioning, Oliver,” she said. “If we pull all these wires out now, we’ll surely end up killing him.” Oliver could sense the desperation in her. She was torn, clearly. On one hand, she wanted to save Roy from turning into a hybrid, but on the other, she wasn’t willing to put his life on the line. Felicity seemed to be contemplating her options, looking at all the connecting wires. “That’s the centrifuge that was stolen from Queen Consolidated,” she said. Oliver looked at the machine and noticed the brand on the side of it. “The thing that they are injecting him with must be mixing in there, but I doubt that they would leave it all there if it’s the only place they could create their mixture,” Felicity said.

“This is the Master’s work,” Diggle said. “He knew you’d look for your beta. He might have wanted us to be here.”

“That explains the lack of security,” Oliver said as things started making more sense. “Whoever he is, he’s probably watching us through his own bugs right now.”

“I’ll call Lyla,” Diggle said. “Have her call in A.R.G.U.S. to deal with these hybrids. What should we do with Roy?”

“It’s like Felicity said… If we unhook him in the middle of his transition, he might die,” Oliver said, but he couldn’t help but notice how Felicity’s cogs seemed to be turning. She reached up and clicked on her comm-link, connecting them once more to Tommy in the Foundry.

“ _ Did you find him? _ ” Thea’s desperate voice came through. Oliver’s heart ached for his sister. He remembered how he had felt when Felicity had taken Nyssa’s serum. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what his sister was going through.

“Thea, listen,” Felicity spoke calmly, clearly not trying to alarm the younger woman. “Tell Tommy to prepare the emergency chains and to get the medical table out and ready. We’re bringing Roy in.”

“ _ Is he hurt? Felicity, please, tell me something- _ ”

“He’s still alive,” Felicity cut her off. “For now, at least. Get the things ready and we’ll be there shortly.” She turned off the comms again before Thea could say anything else and she hurriedly stepped around the bed, shutting the machines off.

“Felicity, what are you doing? You said that would kill him,” Oliver protested as the blonde started pulling out the wires.

“The injection will either turn him into a hybrid or kill him anyway,” she said, sounding pained. “I sensed him as a hybrid, and I’ve been trying to reach out to him mentally again, but his mind is all jumbled up. It’s not making any sense to me.” She turned to Diggle, “Get the van going and as close to the gates as possible. We’ll leave these hybrids here for Lyla and her team to pick them up.”

Diggle nodded, hurrying out of the room. Oliver stared at Felicity when she pulled out the final cable and quickly bandaged up Roy’s arm that had been used for the transfusion. The way she talked about the injection, the serum or whatever the hell it was… How it either turned one into a hybrid or killed the host; it was all too familiar. Oliver’s head was dizzy with how things were slowly falling into place. The Master, whoever he was, had clearly gotten his hands on the same essence that Oliver had found on the Island. The Mirakuru had had the same resulting options: either you turn or you die.

The realization that he now knew what method the Master was using to create his hybrids made Oliver’s mind swim with thoughts. He had to tell the others, but right now, he needed to focus on helping Felicity get Roy out of there. It was only a matter of time before the Master sent others to deal with them, especially if he was watching them now. Oliver wasn’t sure if taking Roy had been a way to target Felicity. All those months ago, according to Floyd Lawton, Felicity had a bounty on her head. It was clear that the Master wanted her in his clutches again, but for what, Oliver couldn’t be certain. The only thing he knew for sure was that he would protect Felicity until his dying breath and even then, he would give everything he had if it meant that he would keep her safe. No one would get to take her from him.

-§-

Diggle drove like a mad man through the streets. It was a miracle that they made it to the Foundry in one piece, but Felicity made sure to hold on to Roy so that she would be able to keep track of his pulse. So far, it was weak, but it was still there. Diggle stepped up and took the younger man in his arms, carrying him inside and Felicity hurried to open the doors. Oliver was behind them, instantly walking over to his sister. Thea started crying the moment she saw Roy’s unconscious form and Felicity saw how she held on tightly to her brother, so that her knees wouldn’t buckle.

For a moment, Felicity thought of the soul bond that Thea shared with Roy. She had never wanted to fully believe in it, but Felicity couldn’t deny that the connection between Roy and his chosen mate was strong.

“Put him on the table,” Felicity said. “Tommy, get me the chains.”

The men complied and in the background, Felicity could hear Thea asking Oliver what Felicity was doing. Oliver murmured something quietly into his sister’s ear, but Felicity focused on Roy. She looked down at the young man who had grown to be like a brother to her. He wasn’t just her beta, he was a part of her family. Inspecting his wounds, she noted that most of them had healed, but it was taking too long. Glancing up, she met Oliver’s eyes and for a good second or two, she held his gaze. Everything seemed to slow down and she took in the way that everyone in the room was breathing. In and out, slow and steady. Oliver was standing tall, looking at her like she held the answer to the question that she had subconsciously sent him. He knew that she would make the right call. He trusted her and she knew it.

Pulling her own wrist up to her mouth, her fangs elongated instantly and she tore into her skin. Blood filled her mouth and dripped down her chin, but she reached down and lifted Roy’s head gently, putting her wrist against his lips. He needed to heal faster and her blood would surely do the trick. Even if he was turning into a hybrid, he was still transitioning. There was no way to say that her blood wouldn’t help the process along. She knew that her blood was slowly trickling down his throat and making its way into Roy’s system. She waited for another minute before pulling back. Diggle offered her a towel and she quickly wiped down her wrist and wrapped the towel around it. Before going out on the hunt tonight, she had drunk some blood, but clearly not enough because it was taking some time to heal.

They watched Roy’s body, his chest barely moving up and down now. Thea was still sniffing in the corner, Oliver’s arms around her and panic welled inside of Felicity. If Roy died, it would be her fault. She had gotten him involved in all of this by trying to save him and teach him. She had pulled him into this world and made him a target.

Another moment passed and suddenly, Roy’s eyes snapped open as he took in a breath, his chest heaving. Hope filled her, but then she saw the golden glow in his eyes. Roy’s mouth opened, as if to let out a strangled cry. Instead, his canines curved, claws coming out as he gripped the table, scraping against the metal before a loud and animalistic roar tore from his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will also be a shorter one, but pick up right where this one left off. We'll get a conversation between Oliver and Felicity, where Oliver shares some of his past with her and his suspicions regarding the mirakuru. Now I really need to get back to studying, but hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to leave me a comment with your thoughts! :) xx 
> 
> P.S. Sorry for any spelling-mistakes. I didn't have time to proof-read it an extra time before posting!


	26. The Story of Shado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment Roy howls, all hell breaks loose in the Foundry. Felicity is forced to come to terms with what has happened to her beta and Oliver revisits his memories and decides that he can no longer keep his suspicions to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Things are definitely moving forward in this fic. I'm so happy everyone liked the previous chapter and I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this one as well! This one IS a little filler-y, but it picks up right after the previous one and deals with some things from Oliver's past (obviously). Hope you enjoy it! :) xx

**Hunted**

**Chapter 26: The Story of Shado**

 

Felicity wasn’t thinking clearly. That had to be the only explanation. Oliver stared wide-eyed at Roy who was still howling, the sound so powerful that it seemed as if the Foundry shook with it. Felicity moved toward her beta, holding on to the young man’s hands as he thrashed against the chains that had been secured around his wrists.

“He’s going to turn,” Felicity said hurriedly. “We need to unchain him and get him into the cage!”

The cage had been placed in the Foundry a good while back and so far, they hadn’t needed to use it. It was for emergencies, if Felicity lost control or Roy wasn’t able to handle a particularly rough full moon, but Oliver had never had to put either one of them in there. Besides, he knew how Felicity felt about being tied or locked up.

“Tommy, get Thea out of here!” Oliver ordered, moving his sister toward his friend, but Thea made a sound of protest.

“I am not leaving,” she said, her voice shaky but eyes blazing. Oliver didn’t have time to say anything when Felicity called out to Diggle to get the cage open. The older man hurried with the keys to the cage and pulled open the door before once again returning to their side.

Roy was hissing at them, his eyes glowing and fangs sparkling. It was as if he didn’t even recognize them. Felicity managed to get one of the restraints off of him, but she didn’t move back fast enough. Roy lashed out, claws connecting with Felicity’s skin, drawing blood and spraying the red substance all over the floor. Felicity cried out and Oliver moved forward quickly, catching her as she momentarily stumbled back. Sweat beaded on Oliver’s forehead as fear coursed through him. Had Roy ripped her throat out? He looked down, seeing the marks over her chest. Roy had torn through her shirt and there were long marks stretching from her right shoulder, down toward her left collarbone. The shirt seemed to have protected her somewhat, but the blood quickly soaked the front of her shirt. Oliver didn’t know how bad it was, although he didn’t get to dwell on it for long because Felicity moved forward again, ignoring her own pain as she unclasped the other cuff and held down Roy’s arm. Oliver stepped up to her side and switched with her effortlessly, lifting Roy with Diggle’s help off of the table. Roy hissed and clawed at them, but they managed to push him into the cage somehow. Felicity pushed the door closed and locked it up, jumping back when Roy came at her, trying to reach for her through the bars. Oliver saw the worry on her face and the tears in her eyes when Roy’s growls morphed into pained whimpers. He heard the cracking of bones and recognized the signs of a wolf turning. Reaching out, he took Felicity’s hand, pulling her back toward him and away from the cage as Roy’s body doubled over. The younger man fell to his knees and Oliver heard his sister scream. Felicity moved quickly this time, away from Oliver as she intercepted Thea, grabbing a hold of her shoulders.

“Thea, he’ll be okay,” Felicity murmured, letting Thea slump against her. Oliver watched them for a moment before turning back to Roy, his arms where Felicity had been mere moments ago feeling empty. He understood though; she wanted to keep Thea away from Roy, which was going to be difficult. His sister had been there for Roy when he had turned into a wolf a few times, but this time, it wasn’t just a werewolf transformation. There was no full moon involved now. This was a forced turn.

Roy’s clothes ripped and he screamed. It was painful to see the excruciating transformation. Brown fur appeared, first in patches, then slowly growing long and thick over his entire body. The young man’s legs bent, feet transforming into paws, claws long and sharp as they scraped over the floor. It didn’t take more than a few seconds until a wolf with glowing yellow eyes started pacing around in the cage, throwing itself against the bars a couple of times to try and make the metal bend beneath his force.

His sister was crying openly, breaking down and Felicity was comforting her. Oliver, however, couldn’t take his eyes away from the wolf in the cage. His mind took him back to painful years, cold nights and nightmares that he didn’t even know how he had survived. He knew what this was, how Roy had been forced to turn, but he didn’t even know how to begin telling the rest of his team. He wanted to, they deserved to know everything. What would they think of him when he did tell them? What would Felicity say?

Oliver swallowed thickly, looking back at the blonde who was still holding his sobbing sister up. Subconsciously, he found himself moving toward them and he met Felicity’s eyes over Thea’s shoulder. They were filled with her own tears and Oliver reached out, wrapping his arms around both women, feeling Felicity’s hand clasp his where it rested on Thea’s back. Looking at Diggle and Tommy, he could tell that both men were at a loss, not knowing what they were meant to do now. Roy’s pacing eventually stopped, but there was something violent in the wolf’s eyes as he stared them down from behind the bars. He had no control; he wanted to kill them.

Oliver closed his eyes, wondering how they were going to get out of this one with Roy unharmed.

-§-

Fifteen minutes later, Felicity sat on one of the rolling chairs, elbows on her knees as she looked Roy, who was still pacing in his cage. Thea had finally stopped crying, but she looked downright miserable where she sat on her own chair, a safe distance from the cage. Every once in awhile, Felicity would see Thea’s lips move and Roy would momentarily stop pacing to stare at the young brunette. Felicity didn’t want to impose and listen in, so she didn’t. Besides, her own ears were still ringing from the adrenaline that was slowly wearing off and making the pain over her chest known.

Just a few minutes after they had secured Roy in the cage, Tommy had gotten a call from Laurel, who asked him of his whereabouts. He had been forced to excuse himself, telling them that he wished he could stay but knowing Laurel, his fiancée probably thought he was cheating on her by now with all the late nights. He was lucky that Laurel had been keeping busy with her own work since the Undertaking and that she was making frequent visits to her mother in Central City. It was understandable though, that Tommy wanted to step back from the hunting business. Keeping up with a double life could be exhausting and Felicity was happy that she didn’t have to hide anything from her loved ones. Nevertheless, Roy was in the cage now and he wasn’t going to be getting out anytime soon. Tommy being there wouldn’t make a difference since all they had to do was wait, so that they could ask Roy what he could remember. Felicity had wanted to tell Tommy as much, but Diggle had beaten her to it, promising that they would text Tommy any news on what was happening with Roy. Shortly thereafter, Tommy had left, a sympathetic look sent in Felicity’s direction and another one full of concern directed at Thea and Roy.

“Hey,” Oliver murmured when he stepped closer to her. Felicity tried not to acknowledge how she leaned into him as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you going to heal or do we need to get you cleaned up?” he asked, sounding worried.

Felicity looked down at her torn shirt, eyes zeroing in on the long cuts and the blood that was slowly drying. The wounds weren’t healing yet and she had to wonder whether it was because of whatever it was that they had injected Roy with in order to turn him into a hybrid. Besides, with these new hybrids appearing from left to right, how were they supposed to know that Roy was the same type of hybrid as her?

A low hiss escaped her lips when Oliver reached out and gently touched the skin surrounding the claw marks that spanned from shoulder to collarbones. She looked up at him and saw that his face was dazed, but his fingers curled back into a fist when he realized what he had done. His face looked grim and when he met her eyes, she saw regret in them. It was clear that touching her to make sure that she was all right had been an instinct for him and without thinking twice, she took his hand in hers and gently returned it to her shoulder, not close enough to her wounds, but close enough so that he would feel that she was safe. Turning her face into him, she pressed her forehead against the back of his hand, still holding it with her own. Oliver’s thumb moved comfortingly over her shoulder and she looked back up at him.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It’s just taking a bit longer.”

Oliver nodded slowly, though she could still see the worry on his face. The man was always brooding, it seemed, but it was nice to know that the concern she felt toward him was reciprocated. Felicity looked down, seeing that he had changed out of his Arrow suit. How long had she been lost in her own thoughts? She was just about to suggest that she too change out of her bloody and torn clothes when her eyes settled on the marks on Oliver’s own arms.

“Oliver,” she breathed out in a low gasp, reaching out to check on his arms. She hadn’t even noticed that Roy had managed to get his claws into Oliver too. She had been so lost in getting Roy to the cage before he turned that everything had been a haze.

“The leather took the brunt of it,” Oliver told her. “It’s just a scratch.”

Felicity looked at the marks that were still bloody. They weren’t deep, but they were still there. She could smell Oliver’s blood in the air and she shook her head quickly. “I’ll help you clean them up,” she said.

Oliver stared at her blankly for a second. “Diggle can look at them for me,” he said, looking nervous as he shifted from one foot to the other. Before Felicity could say something, to ask what was wrong, he looked away from her toward the wolf in the cage. “What are we going to do now?” he asked her.

Felicity looked over at Roy again, eyebrows furrowing. “I don’t know how long he’ll be a wolf,” she said. “I might need to stay here until he’s human again to make sure that there weren’t any other sideeffects to his transition. Until then, I don’t really know what else to do.”

“I’ll stay here with you,” Oliver told her and she knew deep down that it wasn’t an offer. He was telling her that he wasn’t leaving her side and she found herself appreciating it a lot. She wasn’t sure that she was going to be getting any sleep at all tonight.

“I should go get changed,” she said after a moment. Oliver nodded at her and Felicity was once more aware of the fact that his hand was still on her shoulder. Or maybe he had let go of her, but then returned it? She wasn’t sure anymore, everything was a haze.

“I’ll ask Diggle to look at these scratch marks,” Oliver said, but his eyes didn’t leave hers.

“You should,” she agreed, giving herself a few seconds to breathe through whatever emotions she was currently feeling. With everything that had happened, she still hadn’t forgotten about the conversation that they hadn’t gotten a chance to finish at Queen Consolidated. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours yet and she still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to tell him. Back in their office, before Thea had come rushing in, Felicity had almost admitted that kissing Barry had been more about her seeing if she could get over whatever feeling she had toward Oliver. It felt almost cruel, when she told herself that, because if Barry’s feelings for her had been more serious, that kiss would have been about her pretty much using him to put her own emotions in order. She was glad that Barry hadn’t felt more than friendly feelings toward her, but she still felt strange whenever she admitted to herself that kissing him had made her realize the extent of her feelings for Oliver. After everything that they had been through, she still cared deeply for the man and while he might have hurt her back in Russia, she had been given time to heal and think about what she wanted.

And she wanted Oliver, she truly did. He had respected her need for distance and not pushed her for anything she wasn’t ready for. Felicity still remembered how he had confessed that he didn’t want her to shut him out of her life completely, how he wished that they would at least become friends again with time. She had seen his desperation then too, how her throwing him out of her life scared him, how he needed her, despite everything, like she needed him.

With a small smile, she stood from her seat. Oliver’s hand lifted from her shoulder and she moved forward, but stopped herself abruptly. He blinked at her and she frowned. “I really want to hug you, but I have a lot of blood on me and I don’t want to ruin your shirt,” she said.

A sound escaped Oliver, half-choked, but sounding almost like a snort. He looked at her and Felicity’s mouth turned up at the corners.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Oliver asked her.

“With healing?” Felicity questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you offering to tap a vein, Oliver?”

Felicity remembered then, that she had said the exact same word to him at another time. It had been after the Undertaking, the morning after when she had woken up tangled up in him, her body pressed flush against his. It had been just as teasing then as it was now, but she knew she had made a mistake when she had spoken this time. It wasn’t because she was worried with how Oliver might react to the remark, but rather because of the fact that her mind was flooded with images of the time that she had shared blood with him. It was difficult to ignore the heat that pooled low in her belly, especially with the way that Oliver’s own eyes seemed to darken slightly. She couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered too, the words that he had told her that morning; that he would be there for her if she needed him. So much had happened since then, so much had changed. And yet, she now found herself repeating those words, bringing back so many memories that made her feel all warm inside when she really should be focusing. Yeah, definitely the wrong thing to say, especially at a moment like this.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking away from him. She was surprised when she felt Oliver reach out and take her hand in his. Meeting his eyes again, she noticed his dilated pupils, but also the nervousness in his eyes.

“You know that if you needed me to, I would, right?” he asked, his voice low once more. This was a conversation meant for just the two of them, but it was difficult to uphold when everyone else in the team was close enough to both see and hear the exchange. Felicity once more thought about that morning and how Oliver had told her that he wouldn’t be able to share blood with her again. He had still told her that he would be there for her if needed, but he had remained unclear on whether he meant it in regards to the blood. Back then, he hadn’t been certain as to what he was referring to himself. Now though, it seemed like he knew better. Her mouth was suddenly dry and she licked her lips, noticing how Oliver’s focus shifted downward before once more settling on her eyes.

“I know,” she finally said, knowing deep in her heart that it was the truth. She had sworn back then that she wouldn’t give Oliver her blood again unless she had his consent, but when he had been close to dying, she had wanted nothing more than to help him heal. She had been willing to risk him waking up as a Dark One and to have him hate her forever, all so that she wouldn’t lose him. Once more, the urge to say something to him about it rose inside of her, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Instead, she just smiled at him again and let go of his hand so that she could go and grab something else to wear. Oliver didn’t say anything, but she could feel his eyes trained on her, even as she walked away.

Twenty minutes later, Felicity had managed to get her wounds cleaned up on her own. They weren’t bleeding anymore, but as far as she could tell, the skin wasn’t exactly stitching itself together quickly either. She had grabbed a t-shirt from their drawer of spare clothes, but she didn’t know for sure whether it was Oliver’s or Diggle’s. Nevertheless, it was big enough to hang off of her shoulder, and it gave her wounds enough room to breathe. When she exited the bathroom, she heard Oliver hiss when Diggle poured some antiseptic on his own marks.

“Can you do me next?” Felicity blurted, stopping short when she realized how wrong that had come out. “I mean, could you help me bandage the wounds up so I don’t keep bleeding all over the place while I heal?” she clarified. Diggle smiled lightly and nodded, but Oliver continued to stare at her. She offered him a small smile of her own before turning back around to walk over to Thea.

“How are you doing?” Felicity asked, noticing that Roy had stopped pacing in the cage and instead laid down on the floor. The brown wolf’s ears were pressed back, both front paws covering his muzzle and he was blinking almost sleepily at Thea and Felicity. When Felicity touched Thea, Roy’s ears perked up and Felicity heard the low rumble in the wolf’s chest. Quickly, she removed her hand from the young brunette, and Roy once again settled down. How peculiar.

“I’m okay, I guess,” Thea said, her voice raspy. She had cried too much and Felicity wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her. Thea was family to her and Felicity knew that it wasn’t just because Roy had bonded with her as a mate.

“We don’t know how long Roy will be a wolf,” Felicity started slowly. “Maybe you should go home and get some rest? I’ll stay with him until he comes to and then I’ll call you…”

“No,” Thea answered. “I’m not going to leave him.”

“Thea,” Felicity sighed. She only wanted what was best for her and she didn’t think that staying in the Foundry, worrying about Roy would do Thea any good. If the girl could get some sleep, she should.

“Felicity, no,” Thea said firmly. Felicity glanced toward Roy when she heard him growl again, this time, his canines showing. “Would you leave?” she asked and Felicity stared at her because Thea glanced toward her brother when she asked the question. It was clear that she was asking Felicity whether she would leave Oliver.

“No,” Felicity replied, quietly. “Never.”

Thea nodded slowly, eyes softening. “Then you know why I can’t,” she said.

Felicity knew she meant it too and for a moment, she allowed herself to be happy for Roy and Thea. The two of them were solid and they knew what they wanted with one another. They weren’t going to let anything break them apart and as far as Felicity could see, Roy acted differently toward Thea, even in his uncontrolled wolf-slash-hybrid form. Felicity looked over at Oliver and she could see the grim look on his face as he watched his sister worriedly. She had a feeling that Oliver knew what the nature of their conversation had just been and he didn’t seem happy about the fact that his sister would be staying in the Foundry until Roy recovered. Nevertheless, Felicity couldn’t blame Thea for wanting to stay and she knew that Oliver couldn’t either, so she hoped that he wouldn’t say anything to Thea about it.

“Felicity, I’m ready to bandage you up,” Diggle said, motioning for her to come over. Felicity stood and gave Thea one more sympathetic look before joining Diggle. She gave Oliver a pointed look as he walked over to his sister and he nodded curtly as he kneeled down in front of Thea and started talking to her in hushed whispers. Once again, Felicity decided to give them some privacy, but she couldn’t help but glance toward Oliver. A small sound, almost like a huff escaped Diggle and Felicity was successfully distracted, turning toward him.

“What?” she asked, just as Diggle finished dressing her wounds.

“I just find it amusing, sometimes,” he said, a smile on his lips. Felicity looked at him long enough for him to continue without any further prompting. “The way that you’re both so subtle.”

Felicity’s cheeks heated up, but she refused to look away from Diggle. Doing so would be an admittance that what he was implying was real, which it actually was for her, but she wasn’t ready to share it with the world yet. She hadn’t even figured out how to start that conversation with Oliver yet.

Before she had the chance to say anything though, she heard a whimper and the familiar sound of bones cracking. Diggle looked over toward Roy at the same moment that she did and they stood quickly when they saw that the wolf was shifting back to human form, curling up on the cold floor, completely nude. Felicity grabbed a blanket quickly and walked over to the cage. Oliver looked like he was about to protest, but before he could, she had already opened the door and stepped through it, throwing the blanket over Roy who was breathing harshly and sweating profusely.

“Are you okay?” Felicity asked, brushing his hair back from his forehead. He whimpered, shaking his head. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

She waited patiently, but Roy still had his eyes closed tightly. He didn’t shy away from her touch though and she couldn’t remember having seen him this vulnerable, not even during his first transformation.

“Yes.”

Roy’s reply was so low that she had barely heard it, but it made her hold him tighter against her as he shook, a sob falling from his mouth. Felicity looked up, seeing that Oliver was holding Thea who was once again crying. She met Oliver’s eyes and nodded. It took him another moment, but finally, he let go of Thea who stumbled inside the cage, throwing herself on her knees next to Roy. He moved on his own, away from Felicity and into Thea’s arms, his own circling her as he pressed his face to Thea’s stomach, crying openly. Felicity’s chest ached at hearing his cries, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

“I need you to give me a sedative,” Roy said after a quiet moment, his voice thick.

Felicity noticed how Thea’s grip on him tightened, but Felicity knew his words were directed at her. “Roy,” she started, but he pulled back and finally met her eyes. She saw that his eyes were still yellow and worry filled her instantly.

“I’m so angry, Felicity,” he said. “I can’t explain it, but I just want to… I’m going to hurt someone and I need to sleep that feeling off.” His eyes fell to the compression on her chest. “I’ve already hurt you. I’m sorry.”

“That wasn’t you,” Felicity said. “You couldn’t control yourself.”

“Which is why I need you to lock me up again and give me a sedative,” Roy said. “I can’t walk around when all I can think about is ripping your throat out.” It was grim and brutally honest. She wanted to know if the urge to kill was just directed toward her, because he seemed fine to hold Thea, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

“Okay,” she agreed.

A couple of minutes later, Roy was dressed and fast asleep on a makeshift cot they made him inside the cage. Thea was still sitting on the floor outside, holding his hand through the bars. Felicity was preparing her old bed for Thea to sleep in tonight when Oliver walked over to her.

“Felicity,” he said and in her name, she heard everything he wasn’t saying. Are you okay? What will we do now? What will happen to Roy? Are you going to be all right?

“I’m fine,” she said, voice shaky.

“No, you’re not,” Oliver countered, stepping toward her.

Allowing herself a moment of weakness, Felicity turned into him, burying her face in his chest as his arms wrapped around her. “I’m not,” she agreed.

-§-

Three days passed, but not much changed. Oliver was getting anxious because so far, Roy’s unexplainable anger hadn’t subsided and it made Oliver worry that his suspicions were true. If Roy truly had been injected with mirakuru, there was no way to reverse the change and Roy would slowly start spiraling until he lost control of himself completely. At least that was what Oliver’s experience with the drug had taught him.

Oliver could see how much Roy’s transformation weighted on Felicity. She had dark circles under her eyes and there seemed to be a permanent frown on her her face. He didn’t like that she wasn’t sleeping, but he didn’t know what to say to her on the matter. Thea hadn’t been leaving the Foundry at all, but Oliver had explained the situation to his mother who appeared more worried for Roy than he would have expected.

Oliver was out with Diggle, getting some burgers and fries for the others who were waiting down in the Foundry when Diggle brought up that he had talked to Lyla about Roy’s situation. It surprised Oliver, but at the same time, he knew that Diggle and Lyla had grown close again after Russia. They hadn’t come out and outright said it, though Oliver was a hundred percent certain that the two had rekindled their old flame.

Oliver didn’t really expect it when Diggle shared that Lyla offered up a safehouse owned by A.R.G.U.S. for Roy’s recovery. According to Diggle, it was located just a few hours away from Starling City and remote enough so that no humans would wander by and accidentally get killed. Oliver didn’t like the idea of Roy losing control and killing someone because he knew how difficult it would be for the young man to recover from such a thing. All the killing that Oliver had done over the years had been catching up to him recently, even though he deep down knew that there had been times when he hadn’t had a choice.

“It might only be a temporary solution,” Diggle had said, “but it’s better that Roy gets some time off to get his head on straight than for him to stay locked in a cage forever.”

Oliver didn’t disagree, but he wasn’t sure how Felicity or Thea would react to the suggestion. That night, when he stood by Diggle’s side as the older man laid out the proposal, Thea remained silent for a good while before walking off to the bathroom. Oliver thought she would be upset, but when he reached out to her, she brushed right past him without a word. Felicity, on the other hand, was vocal about her strong disagreement.

“Absolutely not,” she said, crossing her arms. “I’m not going to abandon Roy now. He’s doing better already.”

“I know this is difficult, Felicity,” Diggle said. “Still, you can’t just expect us to keep him locked up in here all the time. He should have a chance to figure out being a hybrid on his own. Breathe a little fresh air.”

Felicity sighed exasperatedly. “This isn’t about fresh air, Dig. This is about sending him away,” Felicity said. “You know that with everything going on here in Starling City, I wouldn’t be able to go with him. He would be on his own and-”

“I’ll go,” Roy interrupted. Oliver noticed how Felicity tensed at the sound of Roy’s voice. “I want to go, Felicity.” He was standing up, leaning against the bars. His eyes were no longer glowing yellow, but there was tension in his body that seemed to be pushing to be released again.

“Roy, I can’t let you go alone,” Felicity said.

“I need to learn to control myself. I can’t have you as my crutch this time,” he told her. “I understand that you can’t come with me, but I need time, Felicity.”

Oliver could see how much it pained Felicity to admit it, but eventually, she nodded. It seemed to be settled and when Thea returned, ending a phone call she had apparently made in the bathroom, Oliver’s heart fell to his stomach because he knew what his sister was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

“I’ll stay with Roy,” Thea said, looking at Felicity. His sister seemed to be avoiding his eyes completely.

“No,” Oliver said, this time firmly. “If Roy can’t control himself, you are not going to be putting yourself in danger just so you can stay close to him.”

“From what I’ve heard, you didn’t abandon Felicity when she almost turned during the Undertaking,” Thea snapped back.

Oliver pressed his lips together, sending his sister an annoyed look. People, including himself, needed to stop comparing him and Felicity to Thea and Roy. His sister and Roy were soulmates, he and Felicity were… Complicated.

“Ollie, I keep Roy grounded,” Thea finally sighed. “When I’m here alone with him, he’s the man I fell in love with and not the angry creature that the bad guys turned him into. I believe in him and I trust him to keep me safe.” She hesitated before continuing, while chewing on her lower lip. “When I’m not with him, I feel completely drained, Ollie. I can’t explain it, but being close to him gives me life, it gives me purpose. I know that I belong on his side, no matter what and I won’t leave him to fight this alone. I can’t.”

Oliver knew the battle was lost, but he couldn’t help but try one last time. “What about mom?” he said. “You can’t just disappear. Who knows how long it will take for Roy to recover and learn how to control himself?”

“I already talked to her,” Thea said. “Just now, actually. I explained the situation and told her that I can’t leave him. She didn’t like it, but she understood. I’ll call every day and check in on you guys and give you updates. I promise.”

And then, it truly was settled. Oliver had about a dozen reasons as to why Thea shouldn’t leave with Roy, but he knew that she would shoot down every last one of them. They were soulmates and nothing would stand in their way of being together.

Oliver looked over at Felicity and she met his gaze. None of them said a word, but somehow, their shared look and the silence between them, spoke volumes.

-§-

The next day, Lyla arranged for Roy’s transport. They had all gone over the details of the safehouse and Felicity had been assured that people who Lyla trusted within A.R.G.U.S. would check in on Roy and Thea once a day, to make sure they had everything they needed. Before Roy stepped into the car, Felicity took a moment to speak to him alone. Oliver was exchanging words with his sister too, who had packed up and already said goodbye to their mother and Diggle was discussing something with Lyla. Felicity didn’t fail to notice how close the two stood.

“Be open,” Felicity told Roy. “I know the bloodlust is difficult to control in the beginning, but be patient and be honest with Thea. If you need her to leave for a while until you get yourself in check, tell her.” The unspoken words of ‘don’t let it go too far’ lingered between them, but Roy nodded.

“I will,” he said, meeting her eyes. “Thea isn’t the problem, for me… It’s everyone else. It’s like she said, she keeps me grounded. When she’s close, I don’t feel the bloodlust. Her blood isn’t the blood I want to draw.” Felicity nodded, understanding what he meant. She had never had the urge to kill the people she cared about either, but Roy was still new at all of this. They still didn’t know fully what kind of a hybrid he was, but from what Felicity was able to tell, there wasn’t anything strange going on with him. He seemed to be like her, a mixture of wolf and vampire, although being freshly made often meant struggling to keep the new side of oneself under control.

“You know, you should be open too,” Roy said, a small smile on his lips for the first time in days. Felicity noticed how his eyes flashed for just a moment before returning to normal. “Be honest,” he told her and Felicity noticed how his gaze flittered over to Oliver, who hugged Thea as they wrapped up their own conversation. With everything that was going on now though, Felicity wasn’t really sure what she was supposed to say to Oliver.

The thought was still swimming in Felicity’s head later that night. After Roy and Thea’s departure, they had all decided to go back to their respective homes and rest for the night. There was no point in going out on a hunt for the truth when they were all exhausted after days of dealing with Roy’s transition. It wouldn’t do them any good to get injured or something, just because they couldn’t keep their own heads straight. Her apartment felt empty now that she was alone. Usually, when Roy was there with her, they would sit up and watch movies together whenever one of them couldn’t sleep. Now, she had no one and she didn’t want to call Oliver or Diggle to come over and spend time with her. She knew that Diggle was probably with Lyla and Oliver was most likely spending some time with his mother now that Thea had left. It wouldn’t be fair to ask either of them to come over just because she felt lonely and couldn’t sleep.

Hours passed and soon enough, it was two o’clock in the morning and Felicity hadn’t gotten a single hour of sleep. Outside, rain fell slowly, hitting the window pane and filling her room with a comforting and calming sound. It didn’t help her though, because she couldn’t sleep, no matter how much her eyes burned or how exhausted she felt.

There was a knock on the door and Felicity shot up from her bed, sitting up. Frowning, she listened intently, wondering who it was that was coming to see her at this hour. If it was an enemy, they surely wouldn’t know, would they?

“ _ Felicity… _ ”

She hurried out of bed, pulling on a robe over her sleep shorts and tanktop before walking out to the living room and into the hallway. Opening the door, she found Oliver standing there, his hair wet and jacket soaked through. She pulled the robe closed, feeling his eyes linger on the faint pink marks that were still left on her skin after Roy’s attack a couple of days ago.

“What are you doing here, Oliver?” she asked before stepping aside so he could come in. Reaching out, she helped him take off his jacket and she motioned for him to leave his shoes by the door because they were both muddy and wet.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he confessed and Felicity didn’t want to ask him why that had led him to her door. She didn’t want him to leave, but she wasn’t sure that she should ask him to stay either. Oliver seemed to make the decision for her though, because there was a look in his eyes that told her that he had come here for a reason and that he needed to talk to her about something. Whatever it was, she could tell that he was nervous because he kept switching from one foot to the other, his eyes moving away from her every once in awhile, as if he couldn’t make himself face her.

“Oliver?” Felicity asked and watched as his shoulders sagged.

“I have to tell you something,” he said, looking defeated. Felicity nodded and took his hand, leading him into the living room as he followed without protest.

-§-

Oliver waited for Felicity to come back to the living room. She had left to get him a towel, trying to lighten the mood by complaining about him getting her couch all wet with his hair dripping all over the place. He was deep in thought when she returned, wondering just where he was supposed to start his story. Felicity was able to read him, he knew. She didn’t need heightened senses to pick up on his nerves because when it came to her, he was pretty much an open book nowadays. Their unfinished conversation from Queen Consolidated still circled around in his mind, but tonight was not the night for that to be brought up again. There were more pressing matters to discuss.

Felicity let out a low breath and Oliver was surprised when she sat down close to him and placed the towel on his head, drying his hair the best she could. He remained motionless, heart beating loudly at the closeness of her and his body heating up instantly when her robe slipped open a bit, allowing him to see her cleavage. The warmth inside of him disappeared again the moment he saw the pink marks left behind by Roy slashing her skin open. His own wounds had scabbed over, but they would without a doubt leave faint scars once they were fully healed. He was used to it by now, being scarred, but adding new ones to his growing collection was never fun. It wasn’t something he thought about anymore, though the fact that Roy had been the one to put these marks on him… He knew that whenever Roy came back to their team, the young man would feel guilty about it. Oliver didn’t want him to do so, but wolves felt things stronger than humans did and there wouldn’t be a way to ease Roy’s mind on it. It might be better if Oliver just pretended that he didn’t even see the marks.

His mind stopped working when Felicity touched his forehead with her fingertips, trailing them down to his cheek. Oliver looked at her, his breath hitching when he saw the concern in her eyes.

“Talk to me, Oliver,” she said and he found himself moving just a bit closer to her. He reached up and pressed her hand more firmly to his cheek as he closed his eyes for a moment. Turning, he gently kissed the flat of her palm and then proceeded to lower their hands so they rested between them.

“You know some of the things that happened to me on Lian Yu,” he started, hesitantly. Felicity nodded, squeezing his hand as if to assure him that it was safe to keep going. “There’s one part of the story that I never told anyone, not even Diggle.” Felicity watched him and Oliver breathed in, looking down at their hands. Felicity’s thumb moved over his rough skin, comfortingly. “When I was there, I met a man who later became my second mentor. His name was Slade Wilson,” Oliver explained. “Slade had been sent there on some mission to evaluate the situation on the island. As far as I know, it was meant to be used as some covert government prison, but that doesn’t matter right now. The thing is that Slade and I, we became friends too. Surviving together and fighting monsters every day helped us grow closer.”

Oliver made a pause and cleared his throat. He looked at Felicity, who was listening intently. It was clear that she wasn’t going to be interrupting him, so he continued. “There was a woman there too. Her name was Shado and she was the daughter of my first mentor, Yao Fei. Slade and I saved her from the Dark Ones on the island, but her father was killed in the process,” Oliver said, running a hand through his hair. Remembering Yao and how he had watched a blood wolf tear the man’s throat out was painful. Everything about that part of his life was painful to remember. Oliver had hoped to eventually move on, but with everything that had happened recently, he was forced to revisit the ghosts of his past.

“The thing was, after Yao’s death, Shado and I… We grew close,” Oliver said, carefully eyeing Felicity’s reaction to that. She looked understanding, although Oliver couldn’t help but wonder whether it bothered her. There was no need for it, Shado was gone and a part of his past, nothing more. Still, it wasn’t as if Oliver was enjoying sharing the fact that he had hooked up with Shado all those years ago with Felicity, who now held his heart. Back then, he had been different and Shado had been the first woman he had come across on the island that wasn’t a blood sucking monster.

“What happened to her?” Felicity prompted and Oliver realized that he had been quiet for too long. His mind had once again tricked him into thinking about everything that had occurred, but he needed to focus. He needed to tell this story.

“I didn’t know it until it was too late, but Slade, my mentor, had fallen in love with Shado,” Oliver shared. “I liked her, but there weren’t that many feelings involved other than mutual attraction. Shado was special, though. She taught me about the monsters because her entire life had been about them,” Oliver said.

“Was she a huntress?” Felicity asked.

Oliver shook his head. “Her father was, but Shado wasn’t. She had taken after her mother, choosing to practice magic instead of hunting the creatures of the night.”

“She was a witch,” Felicity acknowledged and this time, her eyes widened. “That’s why you weren’t as surprised as Diggle and the others when I told you about Barry.”

“Yeah,” Oliver said and for a painful moment, he recalled the kiss he had witnessed between Felicity and Barry. He shook the thought away though, because Felicity had told him that it hadn’t meant anything.

“Do you want to continue?” Felicity asked. “I have a feeling that this story is going to require alcohol, so if you want, I have a couple of beers in my fridge?” She looked nervous, but Oliver couldn’t for the life of him understand why. Sharing a drink with Felicity, late at night while he revisited his demons, though? He could think of worse scenarios.

“A beer wouldn’t hurt…” he trailed off and Felicity nodded, letting go of his hand long enough to get to the kitchen. She returned with a six-pack of bears, putting them on the table before opening one for each of them with just her hand. Oliver looked at her, impressed, but she just shrugged, mumbling about hybrid strength. He took a sip from the beer, locking eyes with her momentarily before she spoke again.

“So, Slade was in love with Shado and you were hooking up with her,” she said, reminding him of where he had left off.

“Yeah,” Oliver nodded. “The thing was that I was so ignorant of it. I didn’t want to see it, I guess. It just felt nice to have someone with me, you know?” Felicity seemed to understand so she nodded. “Anyway, we were on our own for a couple of weeks, but then we came across some other people… Sara was among them.”

“Wait,” Felicity stopped him. “Sara, as in Sara Lance? Sara as in assassin-Sara-who-is-also-Laurel’s-sister, Sara?”

“Yes, the same woman I cheated on Laurel with and took with me on the Queen’s Gambit when I was shipwrecked,” Oliver said. “I thought she was dead, but she survived somehow and ended up with this group of people, who turned out to be led by a scientist. He had come to the island because he knew about the mythology that surrounded it and he was collecting creatures in order to create a serum… He wanted to make soldiers with superhuman strength.” Oliver took a long pull from the beer bottle, shaking his head bitterly. “He called the drug ‘mirakuru’, saying it was a miracle serum. It was a mixture of various types of blood, from different creatures. On his ship, he experimented on both creatures and humans, trying to perfect the mix.”

“Is… Is this somehow related to Roy and me?” Felicity wondered, her voice quiet now.

“I think Roy might have been injected with the mirakuru,” Oliver nodded slowly, keeping his voice carefully even. “I’ve seen it’s effect and Roy suffers the same symptoms. Anger, bloodlust, more heightened emotions than the usual werewolf. I’m not sure about you though… You’re different, you always were.”

“I was a failed experiment,” Felicity said, clearly remembering some of the things she had seen when she had been under the effect of Nyssa’s serum.

“Maybe to them,” Oliver said, reaching for her hand. “Not to me.” He saw something flicker across her face, but he didn’t know if he should acknowledge it now. This wasn’t the right time for that.

But then again, what would be the right time?

Felicity smiled lightly at him and he mirrored her expression before continuing. “I thought I had destroyed everything that was left of the mirakuru on the island,” Oliver said. “I think someone must have found a vial and kept experimenting. I think the Master might be using the mirakuru to turn wolves and create his hybrid army.”

“Makes sense,” Felicity said. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Did you think we would judge you?”

Oliver frowned, “I guess I was afraid of what you might think of me. I know I keep a lot of secrets from you and I have been trying to open up, but some things are just too painful… I’m sorry. I should have said something the moment I suspected it might be related to the mirakuru.”

Felicity eyed him carefully. “I forgive you,” she said, “but I can tell there’s more to this story. You’re still hiding something.”

Oliver suppressed the urge to laugh, because of course she noticed. She could see right through him and a tiny part of him hated her for it. A bigger part of him loved her for it too, however, and that part extinguished the hatred completely.

“It’s all connected to Shado,” he said. “Shado and Slade.” He finished up his drink and Felicity immediately opened another one, supplying him with more. He appreciated it, feeling the alcohol calm him slightly. It had been a while since he had gotten drunk, but hopefully, that wasn’t where he was headed just yet. In turn though, he reached for a bottle and opened it for Felicity. She smiled at him when she retrieved it from him, theirs fingers brushing.

“When I was reunited with Sara, I fell into old patterns with her. I had thought she was dead and it turned out that she wasn’t, so I wanted to be with her because I knew her better… I was an ass,” he said, shaking his head. The simple brush of Felicity’s fingers against his had almost made him lose focus, but he needed to get on with the story, no matter how guilty he felt over what had happened. He didn’t like thinking about how much he had hurt Shado in the process, especially not when she could have been happy with someone who had genuinely loved her; someone like Slade.

“I’m not going to object to that,” Felicity told him, lifting the bottle that he had given her to her lips, taking a swig of it. “You can still be an ass sometimes.”

Oliver didn’t protest, but he did chuckle. It surprised him because he had never laughed when he shared stories of his past. It didn’t seem right to do so, but the beer was slowly getting to him and Felicity was there and everything just felt a little bit easier to talk about with her.

“Nevertheless,” he started, pointedly giving Felicit a look.

“Oh, big words,” Felicity teased, leaning into his side. Once again, Oliver chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders so she could fit into him better.

“I know, I know,” he said, rolling his eyes at her.

“Sorry, please continue,” Felicity told him.

“Okay,” Oliver said, clearing his throat when Felicity leaned her head onto his own shoulder. His fingers tapped against the bottle in his hand. “Slade and I argued a lot. Sara told us about what the scientist, Ivo, was planning and I wanted to destroy his research so that he wouldn’t be able to complete the mixture. Slade wanted us to get the boat and use it to get off the island and we made up a plan together. Shado was reluctant because her gut told her that nothing good would come from the mission. We should have listened to her,” Oliver told Felicity. “There was an accident and Slade was burned badly in an explosion. We managed to get him away from the ship and back to our camp, but he would die from his injuries. Part of the mission was a success though because I had gotten the case with the vials containing the serum Ivo had worked on with Sara’s help,” he explained. The memory of Slade’s burned face and pained screams still haunted him in his nightmares. It was something that he would never forget. “Shado tried to heal Slade, but nothing worked. She didn’t have enough herbs and she couldn’t do anything because her emotions were all over the place. I think that was when I realized that she cared about Slade a lot too,” Oliver said. Shado had still technically been together with him, although he had seen it in her concern for Slade that day. She had loved Slade too, maybe not in the way that Slade had loved her, but it was there. It was that knowledge that had made Oliver do what he had done. “I took one of the vials and injected Slade with it,” he said. Felicity gasped, clearly not having expected this. “We were supposed to destroy it, but I wanted to save him and I knew it was a fifty-fifty chance for him to survive with the mixture in his system. He didn’t… Or at least we didn’t think he did,” Oliver said. “We left the camp with the case. Shado was inconsolable and she wanted nothing to do with me but she knew we had to work together to get off the island. We carried the case with it, intending to destroy it, but we didn’t make it far. Ivo and his men caught us and I was forced to choose between Sara’s life and Shado’s.”

“Oliver, no…” Felicity whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek. He hadn’t realized it, but at some point in his story, tears had fallen from his eyes. Felicity moved closer, nuzzling into him and he tightened his grip on her.

“I tried to jump in front of them,” Oliver said. “My hands were tied up and Ivo pointed the gun at Sara, so I jumped and instead, he shot Shado, point blank… I couldn’t save her and it was my fault she died.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Oliver,” Felicity said, still brushing his tears away. “You tried. You were put in an impossible situation. It wasn’t your fault.”

Oliver shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said. “The moment the shot rang out, a creature jumped out from the woods and started slaughtering Ivo’s men. Ivo got away, but we killed him later… At first I thought it was a crazy wolf, but then, the creature slumped over Shado’s body and turned human again and I saw, it was Slade. The mirakuru had worked, but it had turned him into a monster… A monster driven by grief.”

Oliver thought about the way that he had acted toward Felicity in the beginning. His feelings toward Dark Ones and mistrust of them originated from everything that had happened with Slade. For a while, Slade had seemed normal, but as soon as he had found out that Oliver had been to blame for Shado’s death, the monster inside of him had turned against Oliver. In the end, Slade had tried to kill him and it had ended with Sara being dragged into the ocean again and Oliver killing Slade, who had been not only his mentor, but also his friend.

Oliver looked at Felicity then, telling her the final part of the story. How in the end, he had been alone once more, with Slade dead, Sara gone and presumably dead too… His only hope to get home, destroyed. With everything that had happened, Oliver hadn’t wanted to go home though. He had caused so much death and destruction that he didn’t think he deserved to be with his loved ones anymore.

By the end of his story, the beer bottles Felicity had brought were empty. Felicity was still leaning into him, but Oliver was surprised when she moved suddenly, coming to straddle his lap. The empty bottle in his hand fell to the couch as his hands settled on her waist when she leaned in close and embraced him, her arms surrounding him tightly.

“I would never intentionally hurt you, Oliver,” Felicity told him, her nose pressed against the side of his neck. “I understand that Slade was your friend and that the mixture made him lose his mind, but I’m not him and neither is Roy.” Oliver’s hands fell from her waist to her thighs and he placed them flat against her skin where the robe had ridden up when she had straddled him. He didn’t know if it was appropriate, but Felicity didn’t seem to mind. Instead, all he could think about was how she had  _ understood _ why he had told her this story, why he had been so afraid. Roy was his friend too and when he had realized that Roy had most likely been injected with the mirakuru drug, he had feared that Roy would lose his mind like Slade too. Sending Thea away with Roy had been torture for Oliver, especially since he hadn’t been able to give her more than a short summary of what he suspected. Before Thea had left, Oliver had warned her and he knew that his sister had listened to him. Oliver had seen the way that Roy seemed to calm down whenever Thea was close and he remembered the way that Slade had cried over Shado’s body. Oliver only hoped that Roy’s love for Thea beat the mirakuru that wanted him to lose control.

“You’ve been there for me through everything, Oliver,” Felicity said. “You’re my friend, my partner. Everything that happened in your past is a part of who you are today and I can’t blame you for anything that happened then. You did your best in an awful situation and no one could ask anything else from you.”

“Felicity, if something goes wrong and Roy loses it… I don’t know what I’ll do,” he admitted.

“He won’t lose it,” Felicity said, confidently as she pulled back and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “He won’t, I know that he’s stronger than the mirakuru. He’s my beta and I know him. And even if he does lose it, despite everything, I’ll be there with you and you won’t have to make that choice on your own,” she told him. Oliver closed his eyes when Felicity leaned forward, pressing her soft lips against his forehead. It was something that he did to her whenever he wanted to comfort her but Felicity doing it to him made his heart beat faster in his chest.

“You should stay here tonight,” Felicity said, biting her lip as she watched him hesitantly.. “I don’t want to be alone and you can’t drive…” Her fingers played with the hair at the back of his head, his thumbs moved over the skin on her outer thighs.

“You’re probably right,” he said, eyes dropping to her mouth momentarily. Felicity leaned forward, but instead of doing what Oliver for a split second hoped she would, she laid her head on his shoulder, sighing against him in content.

“Maybe we should rest for a second,” she suggested. “Tomorrow, we’ll tell Diggle and Tommy about the mirakuru, but tonight…”

“Yeah,” Oliver said, his eyes falling shut as his arms moved around her slim frame so that he could hug her again. “Let’s rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented in the previous chapter! Your kind words encourage me and give me motivation to keep going with this story. The next chapter is almost finished and it'll be a long one, since I decided against splitting it in two (due to voting on a poll on my Twitter!). You're not going to want to miss that one because it will be explosive in so many ways! ;)  
> Thank you once again for reading and supporting me. Lots of love to everyone! xx
> 
> P.S. I posted this chapter earlier than I originally thought I would. I was going to update on Sunday, but figured, what the hell! ;)


	27. The Count

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Roy and Thea gone and Tommy announcing that he won't be able to join in as much in the Foundry due to Laurel wanting to officially start planning their wedding, the rest of the team is forced to come to terms with the changes. When Detective Lance gets them involved in a case, they realize that a lot of things are starting to make sense whereas others, are pushing them further into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! Bet you guys didn't expect an update this quickly, did ya? *wink wink* Well, I wasn't planning on posting this chapter until Saturday, but I kind of wanted to give you guys a chance to vent on me before the weekend so I can make up for everything then. Oops, did that reveal anything? Trust me, you're going to need a moment after this chapter, so brace yourselves people! Enjoy! :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 27: The Count**

 

Things were different in the Foundry after Roy’s departure. The place felt emptier and Oliver could feel how Felicity was different because of it too. She was once again the only wolf in the team and it was obvious that she missed Roy a lot. With Roy and Thea gone, it came as quite a shock to them all when Tommy announced that he wouldn’t be able to come by as often. Laurel had been pushing to start planning their wedding and he couldn’t come up with excuses to postpone anymore, at least not without making it sound like he wasn’t interested in marrying her at all. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity understood where he was coming from, so they didn’t call him unless they absolutely needed his help to monitor a hunt. His absence was noticeable too though, and after having gotten used to having their headquarters full, it suddenly felt strange to just be the three of them once more, like in the beginning of their partnership.

On the other hand, they worked well together, as they always had so there was no problem with the actual hunting part. It was just that they missed their friends. Oliver felt the absence of his sister terribly, despite her daily calls to give them updates and Felicity missed Roy. From what Thea told them though, Roy was making progress with controlling his bloodlust. It had been difficult during the first few days whenever an A.R.G.U.S. agent came by to check on things, but according to Thea, Roy no longer jumped up ready to attack when they knocked on their door. Thea insisted that she was safe too and that Roy wouldn’t touch her or harm her in any way. Oliver had to believe his sister and trust that what she was saying was true. His reservations about telling the rest of the team about the mirakuru disappeared when Felicity assured him that she would stand by him, no matter what.

The morning after he had slept over at her place, Oliver had woken up with his arms wrapped around Felicity and his face pressed against the back of her neck. Her blonde hair had tickled his nose, but he hadn’t minded. Instead, he had buried into her, pulling her flush against him so that every part of her was touching him somehow. He remembered, how she had smiled when her eyes had fluttered open and how she had turned her head to look at him, her hands resting over his. Oliver had wanted nothing more than to tell her then, that everything would be all right and that he loved her, but he hadn’t wanted to disrupt the comfortable silence.

They had stayed in bed for a good while, holding one another and nothing more. Eventually, they had gotten up and gotten ready, forced to start their day. Oliver had borrowed a spare toothbrush that Felicity kept around and they had headed straight for the Foundry, where Oliver had changed his clothes. When Diggle and Tommy had arrived, Oliver had told them the same thing he had told Felicity the night before. He went through what he knew about the mirakuru and parts of what had happened with Slade on Lian Yu, both Diggle and Tommy listening intently.

While they had been discussing their options on how to proceed with the revelation, Felicity had suggested that they contact Lyla and maybe even Barry. Since Barry knew a few things about biochemistry too, he could dig a bit deeper into the mirakuru mixture if they supplied him with a blood sample from Roy.

“Maybe he could even find something in his spellbooks,” Felicity had said, throwing out ideas that they proceeded to discuss amongst themselves.

Diggle had agreed to call Lyla and see if A.R.G.U.S. was willing to help too. The more hands they had on the matter, the better, after all. It hadn’t taken much to convince Roy to give them a sample of his blood and Tommy, who was going on a trip to Central City with Laurel, offered to deliver one vial to Barry in person. So far, they hadn’t been able to come up with anything, although Oliver knew that if something  _ did  _ come up, Barry and Lyla would contact the team as fast as possible. At first, Oliver had been reluctant to get help from A.R.G.U.S., but he knew deep down that while Amanda Waller, who was the head of the organization couldn’t be a hundred percent trusted, he still believed in Lyla and her division. They had something to go on now, at least when it came to the hybrids. By using Roy’s blood, they might be able to separate the mirakuru and come up with a cure. If that worked, Roy would possibly be able to turn back into a normal wolf and then the bloodlust would no longer be a problem for him. Oliver only hoped that it would be as easy as that, because if it was, they would also be able to reverse the turn of all those other wolves that the Master was planning on using in his army.

-§-

Two weeks had passed since Roy and Thea had left, but it wasn’t until these last couple of days that the amount of hybrid attacks had risen drastically. Felicity was in contact with Lance constantly and he told her of everything that the corrupt police force was covering up. Quentin insisted that something strange was going on and that the Arrow might need to get involved, and Felicity agreed. Oliver and Diggle went out on the streets together a lot, trying to take in as many Dark Ones as possible while Felicity monitored and directed them. She loved being on the hunt with Oliver, but with Tommy and Roy gone, she knew she was needed in the Foundry, in front of her computers. Besides, she was aware of the fact that it had been quite a while since Diggle had been out hunting with Oliver, always opting to stay behind with Tommy since Roy and Felicity were pretty much a package deal and Oliver worked well with them too.

Nevertheless, Oliver had gone out an hour ago to meet with Detective Lance who had given Felicity a call to set up a meeting with the Arrow. Apparently, there had been something strange about the last couple of cases that he had dealt with and he wanted them to look into it for him because he didn’t trust some of the cops he worked with.

“What do you think is taking so long?” Felicity asked Diggle. Usually, the meetings between Lance and the Arrow were short, not lasting longer than a few minutes at a time. Oliver should have been back by now and Felicity was starting to worry that something might have happened to him.

“He probably just took a different route,” Diggle offered. “You know how paranoid he can get sometimes.”

Felicity nodded, because it was true. There had been times when Oliver took long detours because he felt as if someone was watching him. Then again, they all felt like it sometimes. They were worried that people would eventually notice that the Arrow always circulated in the same area before disappearing. If Felicity had been able to figure out the whereabouts of the Foundry before she joined the team, then she was certain that anyone else who took their time would be able to do so too.

Before she could dwell more on the matter, the door to the Foundry opened and Oliver stepped inside. Felicity met him halfway, throwing her arms around him in a short hug that he returned, squeezing her elbow when they pulled apart.

“You good?” he asked and she nodded.

“What took you so long?” she questioned instead, searching his face for any evidence that something was off. Oliver remained carefully neutral, but she could sense that something was definitely going on.

“Detour,” he supplied and Felicity rolled her eyes at Diggle’s smug look. Of course, when the older man looked curiously between the two of them, Oliver released her elbow and cleared his throat. Felicity’s cheeks heated up slightly, but she refused to show any kind of emotion on her face.

“So, what did Lance want?” Diggle asked, obviously trying not to make things awkward for them.

“He’s trying to track down a drug dealer, apparently,” Oliver said. “People have been overdosing on the Vertigo drug that’s been circling around the Glades since before the Undertaking. For a while, it seemed like the drug disappeared, but it’s back with a vengeance,” he explained, placing his bow back in its case.

“He wants us to go after a drug dealer?” Felicity frowned at him, knowing that there must be more to the story.

“Some of the people who have overdosed have had strange marks on their bodies,” Oliver shared, giving them a look. “ _ Bite marks _ .”

Felicity sighed and Diggle nodded, rolling his shoulders back. “Lance thinks this has something to do with vampires?”

“Lance said that the medical examiner pointed out that the amount of blood found in the previous victims wasn’t the usual quantity of a human being. All victims seem to have been suffering from blood loss, but not enough to seem suspicious at first,” Oliver said, unzipping his hood. Felicity noticed the way his undershirt stretched over his torso and she swallowed, averting her eyes when her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

“Why did he decide to involve us if the blood loss wasn’t significant?” Diggle wondered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Oliver looked up at them, “Because the latest victim was a young girl who was completely drained of blood.”

“Completely?” Felicity stared and Oliver nodded.

“Not a single drop was left, according to Lance,” Oliver said. “Detective Lance thinks that this drug dealer is supplying Dark Ones with Vertigo, or that he’s somehow a part of them. They are drugging people, making them pliant or incoherent and then draining them of blood.”

“Like human blood bags,” Diggle supplied, shaking his head in disbelief. “If things were going smoothly and they managed to keep it under the radar, why would the Dark Ones suddenly make such a mistake of draining a girl completely? It all seems like too much of a planned thing.”

Oliver shrugged, looking to Felicity. It was clear that he wanted her input on the matter, but she was with Diggle on this. It didn’t make sense for something to go wrong like that. It couldn’t have been an accident that the vampires or whatever they were drained their latest victim completely. Organized crime was just that:  _ organized. _ Felicity doubted that the ones responsible would ever allow their workers make such a grave mistake.

“They are trying to set things in motion, I think,” Felicity said, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “If they were organized, like Detective Lance suspects, then there’s no reason for them to suddenly lose control and change their patterns. This is a message. They want people to get more involved.”

“I thought so as well, but I couldn’t be sure,” Oliver said, digging into his pocket before handing Felicity a flashdrive. “This is everything Lance has on the case so far. A listing of all the victims that they suspect have been killed by the same person, an analysis of Vertigo’s components from the traces that were found in the first victims as well as a profile on the drug dealer.”

Diggle whistled, “That’s very generous of the Detective to supply.”

“He wants to catch this son of a bitch,” Oliver said, a growl to his tone that made it clear that he wanted the same thing as Lance. “He wants to get him off the streets as fast as possible because Starling City is still fragile after everything that happened. That’s why he needs our help.” 

Felicity knew that the decision was pretty much made. There were innocent people getting hurt and they couldn’t stand by and do nothing when Dark Ones were involved. She didn’t know what they were up against, but as far as she could tell, the creatures were blood drinkers. That could only mean vampires or hybrids. She needed to look through the material that Detective Lance had supplied them with and look at the drug dealer’s profile in order to establish exactly what kind of Dark One they were dealing with.

She met Oliver’s eyes, nodding her head curtly. They had work to do and the sooner they started, the better. The bad guys already had a head start.

-§-

“Yes, yes… Will do. I’ll look into it as soon as I can,” Oliver said, his face serious as he sat up straight in his office chair. “I’ll get back to you with my notes the second my assistant draws the numbers up for me and I have a look at them. Thank you, Jonathan.” He hung up the phone with the head of finance within Queen Consolidated. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on strong. Oliver really hated office hours, especially considering that there were much more pressing matters at hand.

“Can I get you a coffee, Mr. Queen?”

Oliver looked up, eyebrow raising at the sight of Felicity leaning against his door with her arms crossed. She was looking at him like she was challenging him and he quickly went over the things he had just said to Jonathan on the phone and realized the reason for her tone. His lips twitched, “Are you making fun of me, Ms. Smoak?”

Felicity shrugged, stepping into the room. She was wearing form-fitting grey dress today with square cut-outs at her waist. Her high-heels clicked against the floor as she approached his desk, ponytail swinging from side to side with every step that she took. Oliver wondered to himself how she managed to not break office dress-code with the short dresses she always seemed to wear. Not that he minded, of course, and he was the CEO of the company.

Leaning back in his chair, he was amused when she came to a stop in front of his desk, her palms resting flat against the surface of the table as she leaned over slightly. “Since I’m your  _ assistant _ , I figured I should ask,” she said pointedly, but he could tell that she was more amused than annoyed.

Oliver watched her, enjoying the way that her smile was genuine and teasing. They were back to how they used to be, before Russia. It was still something he thought about and he knew that she did too. The hurt had run deep after what he had done, but somehow, they had worked through it, together. Now, when he looked at her, he saw the same woman that he had fallen for all those months ago. Back then, he hadn’t been ready to admit it; he had been adamant to push her away in every way he could think of. He was ready now though, but it was a difficult thing to just bring up casually. How was he supposed to approach her on the matter when he didn’t know for sure how she felt about him? Perhaps Felicity was just happy with them being friends again and she didn’t want to complicate things once more? What would happen if he were to confess how he felt about her and admit that he had felt like this for such a long time, that he didn’t even know for sure when it had truly started?

“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, forcing himself out of his thoughts. He offered her a smile. “I’m just keeping up appearances at the office so that no one finds out that you’re technically the one running the business,” he joked. It was a bad one, but it broke through Felicity’s teasing smile and made her laugh.

God, he loved her laugh.

“I might have listened in on the conversation,” Felicity admitted, standing straight again. “I looked at the numbers and there seems to be some money missing, like Jonathan suspected. What do you think that’s about?”

Oliver hesitated before speaking but he knew he had to be honest with her. “Isabel,” he said.

“Ah,” Felicity nodded curtly. “You think she embezzled on top of everything else?”

“I think she might have transferred money that wasn’t hers to an offshore account,” Oliver said. “Jonathan didn’t feel comfortable with making accusations, but I understood what he was saying just fine. Isabel stole money from Queen Consolidated before she signed the papers when we bought her out of the business and then she left the country.”

“Do you have any proof or do you need me to do some digging?” Felicity asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Oliver knew how badly Felicity wanted to put the bitch in her place, but he shook his head.

“Right now, all I want is a cup of coffee,” he said, his voice once again teasing. Felicity’s eyes sparkled with something. “Would you like to accompany me to the coffee shop down the street, Ms. Smoak? My treat, of course.”

Felicity’s lips parted and Oliver didn’t want to admit that he had been staring at that tantalizing color she wore daily. He felt just a little warmer when Felicity took her lower lip between her teeth, chewing nervously before slowly nodding at him.

“If you’re buying, yes,” Felicity said. “I’d like that, Oliver.”

There was something about the way that she said his name that made him feel light. Her reply was genuine, not another teasing remark or a part of their roles at the office. She had agreed to come with him and have a cup of coffee and Oliver couldn’t help the hope that welled inside of him. Despite everything that was going on in their lives, with the hunt for the Vertigo drug dealer and the Master, they still managed to find these human moments in-between. He was just happy that Felicity was a part of them all.

Standing up, he made sure he had his wallet in his pocket. Felicity was smiling brightly when he walked up to her and offered her his arm, which she gratefully took. She stopped briefly at her desk to grab her coat and then the two of them headed outside. There were a few curious looks thrown their way when they walked toward exit together, but Oliver didn’t mind. There had been rumors going around about him and Felicity since the day that she started working there, but everyone who mattered knew that Felicity was an asset to the company. The other board members seemed to understand the friendship between the two of them, even though Oliver knew that Isabel had turned some of them against him and made them believe that he and Felicity were hooking up during office hours.

“I’ve been thinking,” Felicity started, “about what we’ll do once we finally take down the Master.”

Oliver brushed his thumb over her hand that was resting on his arm. “Yeah? What would you like to do?”

“I feel like we all deserve a vacation,” she said. “Somewhere warm and tropical.”

“As long as it isn’t an island,” Oliver quipped and for a moment, he could tell that she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. He offered her a smile and she finally giggled. Oliver stared at her, the sound making everything inside of him buzz with happiness. He squeezed her hand and slowly came to a stop. The coffee shop was close enough and they weren’t exactly on a clock. They had time and now was just as good a time as any to tell her that he would go with her anywhere she wished, all she had to do was tell him where she wanted to go. Oliver had never been the romantic type and that wasn’t why he wanted to tell her now. He knew that they still had a lot of things to work through, but speaking about a future with Felicity made him imagine a time where they could be happy;  _ together. _

Felicity was looking at him, eyes serene and almost hopeful. Oliver held her hands, taking a step toward her, just barely breathing out her name as their locked. He started to speak but then he saw the shift. For less than a split second, Felicity’s eyes flashed gold and her eyebrows fell into a frown. Her grip on his hands loosened and the next thing Oliver knew, she pushed him backwards, her body covering his as an explosion went off, shattering windows close by and sending an unbelievable wave of heat through the street. Car alarms were a distant sound, Oliver’s ears were ringing as his heart pounded away in his chest. He stayed still, his hands on Felicity’s waist as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Slowly, the ringing subsided and he could hear screams and see smoke from further down the street. People were on their phones, calling 911, some brave citizens were trying to see through the rubble of the coffee shop, looking for survivors of the explosion. Felicity’s head lifted slowly and he could see a small gash on her forehead where a small piece of glass must have cut her. There were broken shards everywhere and Oliver’s head hurt.

“Are you okay?” Felicity asked, worry in her eyes.

Oliver nodded slowly, but his head was spinning. Slowly, they sat up, Felicity on her knees next to him as they both looked toward the coffee shop that they had been about to visit. Sirens sounded close by, police cars and ambulances appearing along with some firetrucks. The firemen started putting out the fire and Oliver coughed, covering his mouth from the smoke that had spread throughout the street.

Within minutes medics were pulling them toward the ambulance to take a look at them. Felicity was fine, of course, but Oliver still felt a bit dizzy and Felicity stayed with him, not letting go of his hand until the medics cleared him. There were reporters all over the place, trying to talk to witnesses, wanting to know exactly what it was that had happened. Someone recognized him and suddenly, they were coming from all sides, asking him whether he was all right and what he had seen and he couldn’t  _ breathe. _

They had been on their way to that coffee shop. If they had gotten there, if he hadn’t stopped them to tell Felicity that he wanted to give them another try, if she was willing… They would have been dead;  _ she  _ would have been dead.

Felicity’s fingers laced with his and slowly, he took a deep breath. The ground felt more stable under his feet and looking through the crowd of people, he saw Diggle pulling up with his car, motioning for them to come over to him. Brushing past the people who had gathered at the tragic scene, Oliver ignored the reporters calling his name, pulling Felicity with him to the car, making their way into the backseat.

“Are you guys okay?” Diggle asked them. “What the hell just happened?”

Felicity’s hands were trembling and Oliver looked over at her, finally seeing her face fall. Tears slipped from her eyes and she looked over at him, leaning into his chest when he pulled her close, desperate to feel that she was safe and alive.

“Oh my God, Oliver,” she gasped. “I could smell them burning. All of them.”

He knew that innocent people had died in this attack, but they had to figure out what was going on. There might have been bad people in the city, but bombs going off were unusual. Bomb threats happened, of course, but other than the Dark Ones attacking at night, it had been a while since something like this had happened. Oliver couldn’t think of anything other than the Undertaking that had last claimed the lives of civilians like this.

The radio cracked and suddenly, their phones set off. Oliver frowned, pulling his from his pocket, noticing a small crack in it. Felicity pulled her own out of her purse and she stared at the screen where a video feed started broadcasting.

“ _ Hello, citizens of Starling City _ ,” a man said. The video was slightly blurry from time to time, pixelating and making the man’s face difficult to focus on for a while. His eyes though, Oliver noticed, were wide and crazed. “ _ I’m guessing that by now you have all heard of the  _ tragic  _ explosion that occurred not more than thirty minutes ago in the city. A terrible loss of… What was it? Thirty men and women out to get coffee? _ ” The man briefly turned away from the camera and there was a muffled sound, another person speaking. “ _ Oh, sorry. I overestimated. Twenty-three people dead, twelve injured. Not so terrible, after all, _ ” he laughed loudly and the sound sent chills down Oliver’s spine. He glanced at Felicity, whose eyes were locked on the screen, tears still shining in them. Diggle had slowed down to a stop, taking out his own phone to watch the feed as well.

“ _ My name is Count Vertigo and if you think I’m sending this out to every technical device in Starling to make a claim on the attack, you are sorely mistaken, _ ” the man said. “ _ My friend here, though, Shrapnel, _ ” the camera shifted to the side again where another man sat, grinning widely and waving happily. “ _ He would very much like to take credit. His explosives are  _ divine _ , are they not? _ ” There was a pause and the man rubbed his chin, lips pouting as he thought about what else to say. “ _ Shrapnel and I decided to team up a couple of weeks ago. You see, with everything that has been happening around Starling, we felt that we needed to confront some of the demons that roam the city at night. Shrapnel has planted three more bombs across the city, all waiting to be detonated in case my terms are not met by one handsome, mysterious, green fellah who’s calling himself ‘The Arrow’. _ ” Oliver looked over at Felicity and then at Diggle through the rearview mirror. “ _ I’ll repeat myself one more time: If the Arrow doesn’t surrender himself to me, Shrapnel here is going to set off one bomb every six hours. It’ll give you lot plenty of time to look for them, but I hardly think you’ll solve this little puzzle… Come on,  _ Arrow. _ Time is ticking and the Master, is waiting. What happens next is on  _ you.”

The feed cut off and Oliver released a harsh breath. One bomb every six hours. Civilians were in danger and this madman, Count Vertigo, wanted Oliver to surrender to him.

“Does this mean that he’s the Master or that he’s just working for him?” Diggle asked.

“He’s not the Master,” Felicity shook her head. “I recognize him from the compound where I was held prisoner. I think he was one too, but he must have been turned or something… He’s crazy.”

Oliver looked at her, “What about this Shrapnel guy? Did you recognize him too?”

“No,” Felicity shook her head. “I don’t know much about the Count either, but I recognized his face, that’s all. We need to get to the Foundry. Maybe I can triangulate the feed, figure out where he broadcast the video from.” She glanced at Oliver, reaching out to touch his cheek again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” he told her, holding her hand once more. He turned to Diggle. “Let’s go. We have ten hours to figure out where the next bomb might be hidden.”

Diggle nodded, starting up the car one more and starting toward Verdant. Oliver swallowed thickly, thinking of the people who had been killed. The only comfort he got was from Felicity, who kept her fingers laced with his, squeezing every once in a while to assure him that they were both still alive.

-§-

Felicity looked through the files that Lance had given them quickly, eyes moving fast as she clicked her way through each document. Oliver and Diggle stood next to her, arms crossed as she assessed the information.

“I think we can be one hundred percent sure that the drug dealer Lance is after is Count Vertigo,” Felicity said, turning around to face them. “Shrapnel must just be some madman he hired for the bombs, which are meant to spread chaos all over the city.”

“Well, it’s working,” Diggle said, pointing to the TV which showed people gathering in masses, demanding that someone do something to save the city. The protesters were holding up signs, begging the Arrow to do something. Oliver looked away from the screen, feeling guilt well inside of him. The Count was doing this because of him. If the man was working for the Master, then the Master had finally made his first move. Oliver had to do something and try and catch the maniac behind the bombs because if the Count knew something, it could reveal the Master’s identity.

“Don’t you dare even think about giving yourself up,” Felicity said, almost as if she had read his mind.

“What else am I supposed to do, Felicity?” Oliver asked, pointing at the screen. “This is all happening because of me. The Count wants me and if I don’t surrender, he’s going to have Shrapnel blow up the whole city, one bomb at a time.”

“Oliver, no,” Felicity shook her head. “As far as I can tell, all we have to do first is start looking for Shrapnel. We have his face on tape and we can pull facial recognition of off every security camera in Starling City. He’s bound to show up somewhere.”

Oliver shook his head at her. “And then what, huh? We catch just catch him?”

“Yes,” Diggle said. “If we get Shrapnel off the streets, he won’t be able to set off any bombs. Then we focus on locating the Count.”

“They might be sticking together,” Oliver pointed out. “What then? We take them both at the same time? We don’t know if Shrapnel is a Dark One and we don’t know for certain  _ what  _ the Count is.”

“My money is on blood wolf,” Felicity deadpanned, making Oliver sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, checking his phone once again. He was getting messages from his mother, Thea and Tommy but he only replied that the team was fine and that they were working on the situation. On the table, Felicity’s phone vibrated and Felicity quickly picked it up. She made some humming noises, some agreeing sounds and then hung up again.

“That was Detective Lance. The bomb squad said that the bomb must have been set off by a trigger, close range. No more than a hundred yards away from the centerpoint. That means that both the Count and Shrapnel were close to the bomb at the time that it went off…”

“Does that mean that all the bombs are the same? That Shrapnel needs to be close enough to set them off?” Oliver asked, crossing his arms again.

Felicity nodded, “I believe so. Or at least that’s the hypothesis. We only have the information off of one bomb to go on and I really, really hope we won’t get another one to base our facts on.” Oliver could tell that she was still upset about what had happened. He hadn’t shaken it off either, but at the moment, they needed to put all their energy into finding Shrapnel.

“I can contact the Bratva in Starling City,” Oliver said. “Or visit the Black Rose. They might know something about the Count.”

“The last time you went to that club, you were ambushed and nearly killed, Oliver,” Diggle said, looking at him with a stern expression. “You aren’t going out there on your own again.”

“That was also how we met,” Felicity said absentmindedly, waving her hand in a circular motion in the air as she typed quickly on the keyboard in front of her. Oliver remembered how she had come into his life that night; how she had saved his life and he had proceeded to hate her for it. Back then, he never would have thought that he would end up falling for her the way he had, although there had always been some kind of connection between them. He had just been too proud to admit it to himself at the time.

“You are not turning yourself in,” Felicity said. “We’ll figure all of this out, but now I have exactly four hours and fortyfive minutes to figure out where the next bomb might go off and I have absolutely  _ nothing  _ to go on.”

-§-

“Damn it!” Felicity shouted, hitting the desk with both hands. She pushed away from the table, her chair rolling away from the computer as she buried her face in her hands. Tears burned in her eyes and she could hear Oliver and Diggle’s harsh breathing through the comm-link. The sound of sirens was deafening and she wanted nothing more than to just curl up and cry.

She turned her head, eyes falling on the screen of the TV where the news-anchor announced that the third bomb had gone off at the courthouse. So far, they didn’t know how many people had been in the building because it was late. There had been lawyers there, judges and other staff members though. Felicity’s heart ached when she thought of all the innocents that had died, all because she hadn’t been able to figure anything out.

“ _ Felicity… _ ” Diggle said through the comm but she just shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. Nothing he said could make her feel better about herself.

“No, John. I just- I can’t right now,” she said, her voice choked.

“ _ We’re coming back, Felicity. Stay there _ ,” Oliver said and she replied by shutting the comm-link off and taking the earpiece off. She stood up and walked over to the map that she had laid out on one of the tables, picking up the red marker. After circling the area that the third bomb had exploded in, she stared at the image in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the names of the places, mind working quickly. The coffee shop closest to Queen Consolidated, the bank where the money that Isabel had taken had disappeared from… The courthouse!

“Oh my God…” Felicity’s mouth fell open as she scrambled for her phone, calling Lance on the phone as she pulled on her jacket. Picking up the blue and green marker, she quickly made a circle and a cross before dropping both pens on the table again. She headed out of the Foundry, toward her car, walking as fast as possible.

“ _ Ms. Smoak _ ,” Lance answered, sounding tired. She could hear the sounds of sirens in the background and she knew that he was on the site of the most recent explosion. “ _ Please tell me you have some good news. _ ”

“I think I have a lead,” she told him. “No more bombs are going to explode tonight, I swear, Detective. You need to evacuate the buildings closest to the police station, all right?”

“ _ Wait, you think the station is the next target? _ ” Quentin asked. “ _ What is your guess based on? _ ”

“I can’t explain it right now. Make sure the bomb squad searches through all the buildings within a hundred yards of the station. Shrapnel should be in one of them. I’ll call you back with more information,” she said, hanging up before Lance could ask her anything else. She had given him the essential information and she needed to call Oliver, to tell him and Diggle that she was headed for the station. She might be able to pick up on Shrapnel’s presence through her heightened senses.

“ _ Felicity? _ ” Oliver asked, sounding surprised that she was calling him on his Arrow phone.

“He knows who you are, Oliver,” she said, pulling out of the parking lot.

“ _ Wait, what? _ ”

“The Count knows that Oliver Queen is the Arrow. He has had Shrapnel target places related to you with the bombs. The coffee shop close to Q.C., the bank where your mother’s money is secured, where Isabel made her transfers, the courthouse where your mother was officially exonerated? It all ties back to you,” Felicity explained.

“ _ But how does he know? How did he figure it out? _ ” Oliver asked, sounding frustrated.

“We’ll just have to ask him once we get him, okay?” Felicity said, not being able to stop the smile from spreading on her list. “I called Lance earlier. I figured out where the next bomb is. I’m not going there now though. I think I know where Count Vertigo is,” she told him.

“ _ Where? Dig and I can meet you there. Don’t engage him on your own, Felicity _ ,” Oliver responded.

Felicity took a turn and opened her mouth to reply, only to have her ears fill with sounds of cars honking. She twisted in her seat, just in time to see the headlights of a truck as it smashed into her car, sending the vehicle spinning out on the road. She gasped in pain and the airbag exploded, knocking the air from her lungs.

“ _ Felicity! What happened? _ ” Oliver yelled, his voice desperate for an answer. She felt sluggish, her eyes were drooping closed. Somehow, she managed to get tear her belt off and push the door open, falling onto the concrete. She turned on her back, ears still picking up on Oliver’s voice calling her name, even as her vision started to blur. A pair of black boots came to a stop next to her head and she tried to look at the man standing there, she truly did. The man crouched down and touched her cheek with a gloved finger and then she felt the sting of the needle in the side of her neck. Darkness washed over her quickly after that.

-§-

Oliver stared at the phone as the line went dead, but just for a second before he turned to Diggle. The two of them moved quickly, deciding to head back to the Foundry to try and trace Felicity’s signal. Oliver had tried calling Lance as the Arrow and he had learned that Felicity thought they would be targeting the police station next. The place didn’t have a direct connection with Oliver, unless one counted the various times that he had been arrested. Then again, if the Count knew his secret identity, then he could have told Shrapnel to target the station because he knew that some of the officers there cooperated with the Arrow.

“I can’t pick up anything on her phone,” Diggle said. “The GPS in her car isn’t working either. As far as I can tell, she must have crashed halfway to the station. There’s nothing on the news either, but I’m assuming that’s because the reporters are too busy with the bomb hunting.”

Oliver let out a sound of frustration, the grip on his bow tightening as he stared down at the map that Felicity had laid out. The station was circled too, this time with a blue marker, but Oliver’s eyes zeroed in on the way that she had crossed out Queen Consolidated, this time with green.

“She’s at Queen Consolidated,” Oliver realized, lifting the map up to show Diggle. “She figured out where the Count was. The three bombs that went off and the fourth in the station? The company is in the center of them!”

Diggle took the map from him and gave it a once over. He looked up at Oliver. “You know, it’s scary sometimes, how your brain seems to be connected to Felicity’s,” he said. “And here I was, thinking that only Roy shared a bond with her.”

Oliver’s gut tightened at his words, dread filling him suddenly because now that he knew where Felicity most likely was, he needed to get to her. As if on cue, his private phone started ringing. Oliver lifted it, looked at the screen and saw Felicity’s face on the caller-ID. He answered without a word.

“ _ Mr. Oliver Queen, _ ” a smug voice spoke on the other line. Oliver recognized Count Vertigo instantly. “ _ Or should I be calling you Mr. Arrow? It gets so confusing with all these secret identities, don’t you think? _ ”

“What have you done to her?” Oliver growled, his voice dark, eyes narrowing.

“ _ To Ms. Smoak, you mean? Not much… Yet _ ,” the Count said.

“If you touch her-”

“ _ Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. You’ll break every bone in my hand, I’m sure. Maybe you’ll even shoot one of your little arrows into my knee, _ ” the crazed man said, sounding amused. “ _ Look, Oliver. What I need you to do, is to come and surrender yourself here. You’ve probably figured out that I’m sitting in your office, having a drink with Ms. Smoak, who is quite lovely to look at, I admit… _ ” Count Vertigo trailed off for a moment before continuing. Oliver could see in front of his eyes that his hand was resting on Felicity. He was going to tear him apart the moment he got his hands on him. “ _ You come alone, or I kill the little bitch, you hear? Come alone and I’ll spare you both long enough to deliver you to the Master. The Master has been dying to finally catch you, _ ” he laughed. Oliver looked over at Diggle, who was watching him intently. Oliver shook his head. “ _ Do you want to hear her voice? To make sure that your little wolf is still alive? _ ”

Oliver didn’t say anything, but the Count must have taken that as enough of a reply.

“ _ Oliver! _ ” Felicity gasped into the line.

“Felicity,” Oliver breathed out, his heart beating faster again. “I’m coming to get you-”

“ _ No, no! Oliver, you have to get to the bomb. It’s at the station. I’ll be fine, _ ” Felicity said and Oliver couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Felicity wanted him to leave her behind and go get the bomb. Lance was already working the area with the bomb squad though and Oliver was sure that Shrapnel would be captured. He couldn’t focus on anything other than Felicity now.

“ _ Very romantic, indeed. All this desperation, _ ” Count Vertigo snorted, sounding amused. “ _ You have one hour, Mr. Queen. After that, I’ll start severing Ms. Smoak’s fingers. I’m sure she won’t need them. _ ”

He hung up before Oliver could say another word.

Oliver turned to Diggle.

“Well?” Diggle asked.

“The Count wants me to come to Queen Consolidated. He wants me and Felicity so that he can hand us over to the Master,” Oliver explained.

“Felicity?” Diggle wondered.

“Alive, but she doesn’t want me to come. She told me to get the bombs and help Lance,” Oliver said, meeting Diggle’s eyes.

His partner looked at him for just a moment before nodding slowly. “You’re going after the Count and I’ll make sure Shrapnel doesn’t get away,” he said, knowing what Oliver was planning without him having to say anything. Oliver only met his eyes and blinked. He had one hour to get to Queen Consolidated, but he wouldn’t need that time. They were splitting up and Oliver had faith in John, knowing that his friend would make sure that Quentin got Shrapnel. All Oliver needed to do was get to Felicity and bring her back.

-§-

Queen Consolidated was closed for the night, the hallways dark as Oliver made his way through them. As he made his way toward his and Felicity’s office, he had never had his heart feel as heavy as it did now. He had an arrow nocked and ready. Through the glass walls he immediately spotted Felicity’s blonde locks, but when he realized her hair was matted with blood, his stomach dropped. He stepped through the doors slowly, taking in the damage that had been done to the woman he cared so deeply about. Her feet were bare, from what he could tell. They had been dipped into a bucket of water and Oliver could see vervain and wolfsbane swimming in it too. The skin inside the water was red, blisters forming and sizzling due to the poison. Her hands were tied to the arms of the chair, with ropes that he had to assume had been drenched in the same substance. The Count seemed to have wanted to make sure that she couldn’t just rip the rope apart with her strength, so he had put a pair of white, thin wooden stakes through her hands, to ensure that it would be difficult for her to move.

Her head was leaned back and Oliver could see the blood on her chin and the front of her dress, blood bags thrown carelessly on the floor next to her chair. She had been force-fed blood. Her eyes opened slowly, half-lidded as a pained moan fell from her lips. He noticed how her eyes flickered from her usual blue color to the golden one she picked up in her hybrid form.

“Oliver…”

He started to move forward, but he didn’t even have a chance to blink, when the Count suddenly appeared next to Felicity, tugging her head back by the ponytail she wore, pressing a knife to her throat.

“Tsk, tsk, Mr. Queen, not so fast,” the Count said, shaking his head. “How nice of you to join us.” There was a crazy smile on his face and he tightened his grip on Felicity’s hair, causing her to wince and then whimper. Oliver took a small step forward on instinct, but the Count pressed the knife against Felicity’s skin, drawing blood.

“I’m here now, you don’t have to hurt her,” Oliver spat, his anger shining through his words.

“Oh, I’m just teaching little Felicity here a lesson,” Count Vertigo said. “She needs to know how a real Dark One has to act. This sweetheart believes that she’s still pure, even though she has been the reason that so many have died tonight, all because she couldn’t figure out where I was.” He lifted the knife from Felicity’s throat, pointing at Oliver with it. “Not only that,” he said, “but then she decided to tell you that you shouldn’t save her. She probably thought that she would be able to save everyone else by giving her own life… What a martyr. I’m sure you two have that in common,” he said, babbling away as if they were old acquaintances. Oliver frowned, because it was clear that the man in front of him was absolutely psychotic. He wasn’t stable at all and there was no way in hell that he had planned this entire scheme on his own.

“The Master sent you,” Oliver stated, only repeating what he knew so far that the Count had revealed. “You drained all those innocent humans after injecting them with Vertigo. Why?”

The Count kicked at the empty blood bags by his feet, “Duh, I needed them to feed Ms. Smoak here.” The monster rolled his eyes. “See, Felicity? Even those deaths are on your hands.”

“They’re  _ not _ ,” Oliver snapped, glaring at the Count. He saw how a tear fell from the corner of Felicity’s eye and his chest ached. He needed to get closer. “What does the Master want with us? Don’t you think he’ll be angry when he finds out you harmed Felicity?” Oliver tried, because he needed to figure out an angle to approach this.

“You’re right, he was kind of pissed after what I did to you,” the Count said, tapping his lower lip with the knife. “Well, good thing your gal-pal Felicity here saved your life, isn’t it? I’m just assuming that she did, since you two have this unexplainable need to save one another constantly.” He waved the knife around dismissively.

“What do you mean? What did you do to me?” Oliver frowned, confused now. Was the monster just spitting out nonsense now?

“Oh, right. You don’t  _ know _ . How silly of me,” Count Vertigo said. Oliver watched as his face started changing suddenly, while the body remained intact. For a second, he saw the face of Cyrus Gold there instead of the Count’s and he realized immediately, that this must be the lethalis and blood wolf hybrid that had attacked him, nearly killing him. The Count’s face changed back. “I almost had you, you know? I decided to test a small mixture of mirakuru with some Vertigo, to make my own little poison. It wasn’t perfect though, but I assume that it made your blood clot instead of turning you, right?”

Oliver’s head was spinning again. He was confused and all he could think about was that the creature standing in front of him, was more crazy than the one that had attacked him all those weeks ago. When the Count had taken the shape of Cyrus Gold, he had clearly been more in control of himself, but now, he only seemed unhinged. Oliver wondered if it had to do with the Count’s own experiments. If he had been playing around with Vertigo and mirakuru, he had probably tried the thing on himself too. Maybe it had caused some kind of reaction in his body that had eventually made him lose it completely?

“Either way,” the Count sighed. “My experiment failed and the Master was pissed, so I figured I’d bring you two to him and he’ll forgive me for my indiscretions.” A slow and hazy smile spread over his face as he looked down at Felicity again. “Although, I do wonder whether he’ll need this little wolf in one piece…” He trailed off as he lifted the knife to Felicity’s cheek, “You have such pretty eyes…”

Oliver met Felicity’s gaze, just as her eyes flashed golden. This time, they didn’t flicker. Instead, they widened and Oliver took that as a sign, releasing an arrow straight into the Count’s shoulder, knocking him backwards with the force. Nocking another arrow quickly, he released it and it sailed into the monster’s chest, just barely missing the Count’s heart. Oliver was shocked though, when a loud growl fell from Felicity’s mouth and he took a step back when she bent down and tore one of the stakes out of her hands. The ropes around her wrists came loose when she tugged with all her force and Oliver could only stare as she ripped out the other stake and freed herself of her restraints, tearing into the rope around her legs with her claws. Within just a few seconds, she was free, but her eyes continued to glow, blackened veins surrounding her eyes as she turned on the Count. The madman laughed, tearing the arrow from his shoulder, but Felicity lashed out, clearly no longer in control.

Blood sprayed from the Count’s throat, covering Felicity’s face as Oliver was left staring, arms slack at his sides. Felicity continued to dig her claws into the Count’s throat, blood covering her hand, trickling down the length of her arm. There was still an eerie smile on the Count’s face though and for some reason, satisfaction shone in his own eyes that were slowly losing their light. The monster gurgled, choking on his own blood as Felicity continued to hiss and growl, animalistic snarls falling from her blood painted lips.

“Felicity,” Oliver said her name, low and heartbroken. She twisted around, facing him and keeping her gaze locked on his. There was a moment where her fangs glistened and then a second before realization flashed over her face. She let go of the Count, who coughed out choked chuckles, grinning with blood flowing from his mouth. Oliver lifted his bow, nocking another arrow and this time, the shot was aimed straight at Count Vertigo’s heart. The monster stumbled backwards with the force, so quickly falling back that the window behind it broke and the Count fell through. Oliver closed his eyes, breathing out when he heard the crash where the Count’s body connected with the concrete. He opened them once more and looked at Felicity, who was staring at her bloodied hands. Her hands were trembling and Oliver stepped up to her side, taking a hold of them with his own, trying to hold her steady.

“Oh my God, Oliver… I killed him, Oliver,” Felicity gasped, her voice coming out in horrified whispers. “Oliver, I killed him.”

“Shh…” Oliver hushed her, sensing that she was no longer in a blood haze. The Count had known what he was doing after all, it seemed. Oliver understood now what it had all been about. He had been wrong to think that the Count was targeting him, when in fact, the monster had been out to get to Felicity. Oliver pulled Felicity into his arms and a sob wracked her body as she stumbled into him.

“I killed him, Oliver. I’m a murderer,” Felicity cried, her tears wetting the side of his neck as she buried into him while he held her.

The Count had been aiming to break Felicity, all so that he could show her that she wasn’t better than any of the other Dark Ones. Oliver pulled back just a moment so that he could secure his bow around his back and then swiftly lifted Felicity up into his arms. She curled up against him, crying silently as her body continued to shake. She was in his arms and for the moment, she was safe. Now all he had to do was convince her that what happened wasn’t her fault, tell her that she would survive this too and come out the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry... Please don't hate me for that ending. It wasn't a part of my original plan, but a couple of weeks ago, I realized that the the original one sucked because it wasn't as emotional. Remember, everything in this story happens for a reason and the next chapter (which is basically finished, but I just need to rewrite some parts since I decided to split it, going against the poll that I had going on Twitter) will deal with the emotional aftermath of this chapter. There will be darkness, but even then, there shall be light! Love you guys, even though I'm awful like this sometimes. Come scream at me on Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666) or Tumblr (author123456). Lots of love. xx


	28. The Point of No Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events at Queen Consolidated, everything is a blur. The only thing Oliver knows for sure is that he won't leave Felicity's side, no matter how much she tries to get him to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Short note here. Yes, I am posting this chapter which is the immediate aftermath of the previous chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who commented on ch. 27. Your thoughts mean a lot to me and inspire me to keep going. Regarding this chapter: Be prepared for angst and emotion. Also, I somehow managed to put in a scene that's kind of light and humorous? Yeah, it was strange, but I kind of enjoyed it since it's fairly short. Either way, thank you so so so much for not giving up on me or this story! We only have a few more chapters to go and I really hope you'll like where things finally come to an end. Now, please enjoy! xx

**Hunted**

**Chapter 28: The Point of No Return**

 

She couldn’t breathe but at least she had stopped crying. Numbness took over and then somehow, her heart started to beat steady in her chest, despite the fact that her lungs wouldn’t fill with air. She blinked, in a haze, blurry images flashing through her head, in front of her eyes. The taste of blood in her mouth, trickling down her throat, the smell of it all around her. Her claws tearing into flesh, digging deep, warmth flowing down her hands, coating them in red.

Later, the ringing in her ears was drowned out by the solid beat of his heart as he embraced her tightly, holding her as her knees buckled and sobs wracked her body. It was all a blur, how he took her back to the safety of her apartment and she couldn’t remember how they had gotten out without someone spotting them. Her eyes fell closed and she inhaled sharply through her nose, senses more heightened than they had been in a good while. He was still in the apartment, speaking on the phone to someone, but she was lost.

Somehow, she had ended up in the shower. Her brain decided to remind her of the fact that he had helped her take her dress off; that she had been compliant and not spoken a word as he instructed her to raise her hands above her head. He had whispered for her to get under the warm spray of water and she had obeyed, not trusting herself to speak anymore; not trusting herself to do  _ anything _ . Her underwear and bra were soaked through as she sat down in the tub, letting the water wash away all the blood. She wrapped her arms around herself and he told her that he would be back with towels and clothes, but he was on the phone now so she allowed herself to just stare out into emptiness. The water was colored pink and she stared at her hands. There was still blood underneath her fingernails and she could sense it all around her.

Everything hurt and her heart ached. All those people,  _ gone _ , because she had failed them. The Count, killed by her; her first kill ever and despite knowing that he had been a monster, she still couldn’t believe that she had killed him.

Oliver ended the call and Felicity heard him rummage through her drawers, looking for something that she could wear. Felicity stared at the white tile wall of her bathroom and then back at the blood on her hands. The numbness faded once more and pain consumed her.

-§-

Oliver hung up the phone and removed his jacket. He had stolen one of the company cars from the garage, broken into it and hotwired it after putting Felicity in the front passenger seat. Getting to her apartment, he had carried her inside again, using the emergency staircase that lead directly up to her small balcony. There, he managed to break in through one of her windows that had been left slightly open and he had gently pulled her inside.

Not that she had needed much prompting, because from what he could tell, Felicity was lost in her own world. Oliver had pulled her into the bathroom and helped her out of her dress. She hadn’t spoken a word, her eyes had remained empty. It pained him to no end to see her like that. He made sure to avert his eyes as she stepped into the shower, the water immediately making the flimsy material of her bra and panties see-through. Oliver couldn’t look at her because he knew that it would be wrong. He wouldn’t do that to her, no matter how much he ached to just be close to her, to get in under the spray with her and hold her until the cracked pieces stuck together again.

He had to find her something to wear, but before he could do so, he needed to call Diggle and tell him what had happened. Diggle told him that Shrapnel had been caught with his finger on the trigger, but they had taken him down. He had been a human, although Lance suspected that he had been hoping to be turned into a vampire, at least, before the end of the day. Instead, his body had already been transported to the morgue.

Oliver told Diggle about the Count. He repeated everything as fast as he could, with as much detail as possible.

“How is she?” Diggle asked, his voice filled with concern and regret. Oliver knew that his friend wished that he could have been there to help. Maybe things wouldn’t have gone the way they had then.

There was no point in dwelling. What had happened had happened. There was no point of return; no way of going back.

“I can’t leave her,” Oliver said, voice low, broken. “Dig, I can’t leave her tonight.”

“Then don’t,” Diggle told him. “You stay with her and you show her that she is still the Felicity we know and love. Nothing has changed.”

Oliver started to speak again, but his voice broke and he swallowed back tears. It was so unfair; she didn’t deserve this. None of them did. Oliver had fired that second arrow into the Count’s chest in hopes of killing him, but Felicity had been in a blood haze and gotten loose from her confines. He didn’t blame her for anything, but he knew that she would blame herself. In her mind, she was the one who had dealt the killing blow. They had been through so much already and Oliver didn’t think he would be able to handle another set-back, especially not one like this. He couldn’t allow Felicity to break because he knew that if she started to now, she would never recover.

“I need clothes,” Oliver choked out. “I don’t have any here.”

“I’ll bring them to you,” Diggle said. “You just stay there and make sure she’s safe. I’ll call Detective Lance and tell him about Count Vertigo. I’m sure he’s already heard about it from somewhere, but it would be worse if we didn’t confirm that it was us.”

“I shot him again in the end,” Oliver said. “He was already dying… But I killed him, not her. I couldn’t let her have that on her hands… I started it and then she- It  _ wasn’t _ her fault. He wanted this, Diggle. He force-fed her blood because he wanted her to lose it. For him, it was a suicide mission.”

Diggle sighed, “Oliver, I know. Just… Stay put and I’ll be there in an hour. Get her to lay down or something. Make her rest.”

Oliver didn’t need to be told twice, so he agreed and then hung up. Sighing to himself, he walked over to Felicity’s bedroom. He looked through her closet and found her a pair of sweatpants and a large t-shirt. In one of her drawers, he quickly grabbed a pair of light blue cotton panties and… He stared at her bra-collection, wondering whether she would actually bother with putting one on now. From what he recalled, Felicity never slept with a bra, but he figured he might as well take one with him to be sure. He grabbed the light gray one, with rocketships on it and headed back toward the bathroom.

He found her staring at her hands. She was lost in her thoughts again, it seemed. Oliver only hoped that she wouldn’t drown in them.

-§-

Felicity didn’t put her bra on. She did, however, manage to put the other clothes that Oliver had brought her on without his help. Considering everything that was swimming around in her mind, she counted that as a small win. She had met Oliver’s eyes briefly when he had wrapped her in a towel and she couldn’t help but notice how his eyes never strayed from her face. There was pain in his eyes too and she wondered, how he felt after everything that had happened; after everything that she had done.

She laid down on the couch and curled into herself. Oliver threw a blanket over her and she was surprised when he sat down on the floor next to her, putting his hand over hers. Glancing at him, their eyes connected and her chin trembled again. She closed her eyes, not being able to look at him anymore. What if he hated her now? She was just as bad as the other Dark Ones that he hated. She was a killer, out of control and crazy for blood. Or at least, she had been in that moment when she had ripped the Count’s throat out with her bare hands.

Felicity wasn’t sure how much time passed, but her breath started to even out eventually. She managed to inhale deeply a few times, get some oxygen into her lungs and then exhale slowly through her mouth, all in hopes of relaxing. There was no point though because the tension in her muscles wouldn’t disappear, no matter how hard she tried to think of anything else.

There was a knock on the door and Oliver lifted himself up from the floor, leaving to open it. Her hand felt cold when Oliver’s fell from it. She heard Diggle’s voice and her chest constricted at the sound of it. The couch dipped down slightly and she opened her eyes when she felt Diggle’s hand run over the top of her head. He was trying to comfort her and the soft motion brought tears to her eyes again.

“You’re going to be okay,” Diggle said, but it sounded almost like a promise to her ears.

“How do you know?” Felicity wondered, voice thick.

“Because you’re Felicity,” Diggle told her, no hesitation there. “You’re one of the strongest, most amazing and badass women I know. You’re going to get through this.”

The confidence he had in her moved her. Diggle was a part of her family, just like the rest of the team was and it meant the world to her that he still somehow found it in himself to believe in her. It was different though, because the two of them hadn’t struggled to build their partnership in the beginning like she and Oliver had. Diggle had accepted her into the team, perhaps reluctantly at first, but ultimately, he had become her first real friend after she had escaped from captivity. She wasn’t sure what Oliver had told him exactly, but whatever it was, Diggle hadn’t lost faith in her. He still believed that she was good, she could hear it in his voice and read it off of every signal his body sent out.

Diggle leaned down, pressed his lips against her temple gently and Felicity welcomed the touch. Her heart still felt heavy with guilt, although it became a little easier to breathe after Diggle continued to radiate his silent comfort into her. The guilt was more over the civilians who had been killed than the Count, even though Count Vertigo had been the one she had murdered with her own hands.

After a couple of minutes, Diggle told her to rest and left. Once Diggle was gone, Oliver whispered silently to her that he was going to take a quick shower and that she should try to get some sleep. Felicity didn’t say anything in return, not being able to form words and Oliver reluctantly left. Moments later, she heard the water turn on again in the bathroom and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She couldn’t talk about it; she wasn’t ready yet. Quickly she stood and started shedding her clothing, folding the shirt and the pants and her underwear, putting it on the edge of the couch. Kneeling down, she closed her eyes, not even feeling the first bone breaking.

-§-

Oliver finished his shower quickly, not wanting to take too long to get out to Felicity again. He didn’t want to leave her alone, especially not now. When he finished getting dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, his eyes zeroed in on Felicity’s bloodied and abandoned dress on the floor. Images of how she had looked when she had torn into the Count flashed through his mind and he closed his eyes, the pain in his chest too much all of the sudden. He wanted to erase that horrid moment from existence, but he knew it was impossible. It was as Diggle had said: he needed to show Felicity that what had happened didn’t change his feelings about her. She was still the same person and she had been pushed to do something that she normally never would have done.

Oliver gathered up the dress and put it in the sink in the bathroom. He let water run over it and looked through one of the lower cabinets for something so that he could wash the material. Finding some detergent, Oliver spread some over the dress and started rubbing the garment together so that he could get the blood stains out. His mind once again wandered to the woman in the other room. He couldn’t believe that he had once again failed to protect her; that he had let her be taken by the enemy and manipulated into going feral for long enough that she lost the sense of her own actions. Pain and anger coursed through him, at the Master who was targeting himself and the woman he loved, at the Count who had done everything in his power to break Felicity. Oliver refused to let them win. He refused to let Felicity fall into darkness. If he had to, he would remind her every damn day of how much she meant to him and to their team. He would tell her, time and time and again how she is the one who saved him, who brought him back from his own void and stopped him from going down the self-destructive path he had started on. If he hadn’t met her, Oliver was certain that he would have died a long time ago, or at least become a shell of the man he had once been. She had brought him back from the edge and he would be damned if he let her give up on herself. He believed in her and he always would.

Hanging up the dress to dry, Oliver saw that there was still a stain on it that he hadn’t been able to get out. He hoped that maybe it would get washed away if he put the thing in the washing machine, but he wouldn’t hold his breath. Eyeing it one more time, he sighed to himself and walked out of the bathroom, heading to the living room where he had left Felicity.

He paused at the sight of her clothes folded neatly on the couch and for a second, his heart jumped in his chest when he thought that she might have left. Oliver hurried around the couch, stopping abruptly at the sight in front of him. Felicity was laying on the floor and she had turned into a wolf. Her head stayed low, but a whimper escaped her and Oliver breathed out slowly. He remembered what had happened the last time that she had been in wolf form and he had approached her. It had been after Russia and she had snarled at him and pulled away from his touch. After everything that had happened tonight, Oliver didn’t know for sure what she was going to do, but he decided to go with his gut and take a step closer.

Felicity closed her eyes and another whimper filled the room. Slowly, Oliver sat down on the floor, moving a bit closer to her so that he could lean his back against the sofa.

“Felicity,” he said cautiously, reaching out to her. The wolf remained unmoving, eyes still closed and Oliver wondered just how much of her was Felicity and how much was wolf now. After she had been force-fed, he couldn’t know for sure, but he had a feeling that she still knew him. Felicity had always been in control of herself, even as a wolf; tonight had been the first time that she had been pushed so far that she lost it.

Finally, Oliver reached her, his fingers resting gently on the top of her head. He watched as she tensed momentarily, inhaling sharply through her nose. Then, when she reopened her eyes, Oliver saw the familiar blue of Felicity there, a contrast to the golden color she normally had when she was a wolf. He had only known her eyes to shift to her natural color when she was in tune with what she was doing. Her turn now had been her own choice and Oliver understood that she hadn’t wanted to talk about everything that had happened. Running his hand gently through the fur at the top of her head, he was surprised when she moved forward, following him as he retracted and settled more comfortably against the couch. He stared at her when she scrambled forward, her head coming to rest on top of his thigh. Oliver hesitated again, but finally began coming through her coat, gently and comfortingly. Felicity closed her eyes again, nuzzling against him and Oliver was shocked to see that there was wetness surrounding her eyes, even as a wolf.

Pain filled him again and Oliver couldn’t help but run his hand over her head, flattening her ears back against it. “I know you don’t want to talk,” he murmured after a while, “but how do you feel about going to bed? Do you, uh… Do you mind sleeping in bed as a wolf?”

Oliver took her in as she once again nudged him with her nose, head shaking from side to side. Gently, he ran his fingers over her again. “Okay, do you want me to come with you? To stay with you in the bed, I mean? I can sleep on the couch if-?”

A low whine fell from Felicity and Oliver swallowed, nodding curtly. When he stood up, Felicity scrambled up to stand as well. She eyed him and Oliver looked at her discarded clothing once more, picking them up before he started for her bedroom. Felicity followed, keeping so close to him that he nearly tripped over her when she kept pushing against his legs. His hand found purchase in her fur once more and she seemed to calm instantly, walking slower again.

When they reached the bedroom, Oliver put Felicity’s clothes on the chair in the corner of the room and moved to sit on the bed. He stared down at his lap, felt the bed dip and then turned to look at Felicity who was once again just watching him silently. Letting out a low breath, he laid back, resting his head against the pillow that still held her scent. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes, not bothering to pull the covers over himself. A moment later, he felt a warm weight settle on his stomach and he opened his eyes a little to see that Felicity had laid her head there. She blinked up at him, eyes flickering from blue to gold, but she remained calm. Her wolf form was pressed against his side and Oliver could feel the heat from her transferring to him. He wouldn’t be needing the comforter at all, if she stayed close like that all night.

A part of Oliver wondered if it should be strange, that he felt so comfortable around her, even when she was a wolf. He couldn’t speak to her or tell her what he was thinking about, but somehow, he hoped that she would just understand without him needing to say anything about it. Whenever she was ready to talk, he would be there for her. He wouldn’t leave her side until then, Oliver vowed to himself. He wouldn’t abandon the woman he loved.

Closing his eyes again, Oliver’s hand settled once more on top of Felicity’s head, running over the softness of her fur, hoping that she would understand everything he couldn’t tell her now.

-§-

“I don’t fucking know what I’m doing,” Oliver muttered to himself, looking at the chicken in the oven. He knew how to cook, don’t get him wrong, but he wasn’t sure if Felicity would be willing to eat the chicken he was preparing for them. Looking over his shoulder, he suppressed the urge to shoot a glare at the wolf who was watching him curiously. It had been two days since Felicity had turned into a wolf and she still hadn’t turned back. Oliver had kept his silent promise and stayed with her, messaging Diggle that there was no process whatsoever in getting Felicity to turn back so they could talk for real. Sure, somehow Oliver understood the small gestures and expressions that Felicity made, but not hearing her actual voice for two whole days was  _ agony. _

Over the past two days, he had tried to talk to her about anything other than what had actually happened with the Count. He didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but he didn’t want to push her. Diggle had agreed, that giving her some time to deal with it in her own way might be good, but their friend worried that maybe Felicity had turned into a wolf because it was easier to just escape her human feelings if she could close them out as a wolf. Oliver had asked Diggle to check in on Thea and Roy too, but to not give away or say anything about what had happened. It appeared as though Roy had felt the change in Felicity too, although she had been quick enough to stop their minds from connecting, so Roy didn’t know exactly what had happened. According to Diggle, Roy was worried too, though he couldn’t come back to Starling City until he was certain he wouldn’t hurt anyone, or more specifically Felicity.

“How the fuck am I supposed to even serve you this chicken?” Oliver asked. “Do you want me to put it on a plate for you? Like, cut it up or do you want to… Chew on the bone? Is that offensive? Am I being offensive?”

Felicity only blinked twice and then huffed through her nose, turning her head away from him. Oliver sighed, facing her fully. “You know that I didn’t mean anything by it, don’t you?” he wondered, needing the reassurance. “Felicity, please.”

She looked back at him and Oliver gave her a pleading look. When she let out a small sound that sounded only like half a snarl, Oliver nearly smiled.

Then, the chicken started burning.

-§-

Another day passed and Oliver was starting to lose hope. She couldn’t stay a wolf forever, could she? Oliver understood that it was a part of Felicity coping, but he wasn’t sure that avoiding to talk about what had happened by turning into a wolf was very good for her. He got that that first night, she had needed it. It could have had to do with her wanting to heal properly too, but he couldn’t be sure since she hadn’t given him any kind of explanation for her turn, so Oliver had to assume. 

Tommy had called the day before and asked how things were going, and Oliver had somehow managed to crack a broken smile when his friend had questioned how Felicity goes to the bathroom if she’s a wolf. Oliver wasn’t sure if he should talk to Tommy about such a thing, but he told him that he pretty much assumed that she turned back into a human in the privacy of the bathroom and then turned back into a wolf again whenever he was distracted. Felicity could be sneaky, when she wanted to and a part of Oliver knew that he could have just ambushed her in the bathroom, but he wouldn’t do that to her. The thing was, Oliver was practically the epitome of not talking about things that had happened to him, although deep inside he had a longing to just hear Felicity’s voice again.

“This can’t go on for much longer,” Oliver told her later at night. He was on his back in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, his fingers running through her soft fur. “I need you to talk to me, Felicity.”

Felicity didn’t say anything, but her paw did press down on his thigh and Oliver took that as a sign that it might be time to face what had happened soon.

-§-

Felicity woke up in the middle of the night on her third day as a wolf, Oliver’s body curved around her, even though she was still a wolf. Blinking a few times, she wondered to herself whether or not he realized that he had woken up every day for the past three mornings holding her as if she was some kind of giant teddybear. It was endearing, although Felicity didn’t understand what he was still doing there with her. She was avoiding talking to him because she knew that they had reached a tipping point in their relationship. With what she had done, to the Count and to all those people by not being quick enough to figure out where the bombs were hidden… She didn’t know if she would ever be able to forgive herself, so it didn’t make sense to her that Oliver would either. It scared her, to think that after everything, this might be their breaking point. She wasn’t ready to face him but she knew that it was inevitable. Staying in her wolf shape didn’t make the pain and guilt go away, but it made it easier to direct her focus on something else. It was comforting to be a wolf and it made her feel like herself again. Still, the way that she had lost control at Queen Consolidated and the way that she had ended up killing the Count pained her. She wished she could have been stronger.

A low whine escaped her and Oliver shifted, mumbling her name under his breath, his nose burying in her fur coat. Her heart hammered away inside her chest because she knew that he was still asleep and here she was, taking advantage of the fact that it felt good to have him close. It was almost like he grounded her, but she knew she didn’t deserve this kind of support from him. 

She moved slowly and Oliver muttered something again, but rolled over without waking. Felicity sat back up and stared at him for a second or two before finally getting off the bed.

Silently, she made her way out the bedroom, picking up the clothes that Oliver had left out for her every evening in case she decided to turn back. She trudged slowly to the bathroom, stepping inside and dropping the clothes on the floor. Quickly then, she started shifting back, kneeling for just a moment to allow herself to adjust to being human again. She had turned back a few times when Oliver had been distracted, mostly so that she would be able to use the bathroom, but she had been fortunate enough that he hadn’t noticed.

Or at least she didn’t think he had?

Turning with a sigh, Felicity locked the door and walked over to the tub, getting in and starting the shower. The water was icy cold at first but it warmed soon and Felicity couldn’t help but sigh. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say just yet, only that she had to tell Oliver that he didn’t need to stick around anymore. He probably had a hundred other things to deal with, Queen Consolidated being the first of them and the threat of the Master probably rounding up the list. She thought about how she had come into his life and how she had shaken things up by telling him that there was some evil mastermind out there who was turning wolves against their will. Her mind went to Roy and her chest ached when she thought about how she had forced him out of her head, not letting him feel what she felt, knowing that it would only destroy him. She had been the one that the Count had come after, she had been the reason that he had attacked Oliver under the disguise of Cyrus Gold and she was to blame for Roy’s turn. Somehow, it all tied back to her and she didn’t know  _ why _ but it seemed like everything she touched was destined to be destroyed, one way or another.

When she finished with her shower, Felicity quickly pulled on her t-shirt, panties and sweatpants. She tried to untangle her wet hair, brushing it slowly. It was a mess, much like her, but the shower had at least made her relax a little. Rolling her shoulders back, she watched herself in the mirror for a moment. There were bags under her eyes, her face seemed just a little bit paler than it usually was, making the dark rings more pronounced. Something caught her eye in the mirror and a frown instantly covered her face. She turned, walking up to the folded material that Oliver must have put above one of the cabinets. Staring at it, she recognized the dress she had been wearing a couple of nights ago. Her senses were flooded with the scent of dried blood; the blood that she had been force-fed.

Felicity held the material tightly in her hand, sadness and anger welling up inside of her. Why hadn’t Oliver just throw it away? How had the dress escaped her notice until now? Had she been so out of it these past few days that she hadn’t even seen it?

Unlocking the door, Felicity walked out of the bathroom, dress in hand. When she stepped out in the living room on her way to the kitchen, she stopped abruptly. Oliver stood up from the couch. His hair was sticking out in every imaginable direction. He looked tired and honestly, that was no surprise considering that it was still nighttime.

“I woke up and you weren’t there,” he said, his eyes moving over her once, as if he was trying to make sure she was all right. It made her throat tighten. “I came out here, heard the shower running and I figured I should wait for you.”

For a moment, she just stood there, clutching the dress in her hands, staring at him. She wasn’t even sure where she should begin. What was she supposed to say to him? Lifting the dress up, letting it fall open in front of her, she held it so that Oliver could look at it, “Why did you try to wash it?” Her voice was a little hoarse, since she hadn’t been using it at all these past three days. She watched as something flashed over Oliver’s face and she lowered the dress once more, deciding to just stare at him instead. They were going to have a conversation, she was sure.

And when they did, there would be no way to go back and erase it.

-§-

The silence between them was deafening. Oliver stared at Felicity, not knowing what he was supposed to say.

“You shouldn’t have bothered with cleaning it,” Felicity told him, voice even, almost emotionless. Too bad her eyes were screaming at him.

“I thought you might still want it…” Oliver mumbled, watching her as she shook her head.

“Well, I don’t,” Felicity told him, voice coming out harsher than she intended. She continued to clutch the material though, Oliver noticed. Her jaw was clenched and she didn’t seem to be able to meet his eyes. “Why would you come after me, Oliver?” Felicity asked then, her voice quiet. She was still refusing to look at him; she didn’t trust herself to do so.

Oliver took a small step toward her, and then another, rounding the couch. “What was I supposed to do?” he asked. He needed to hear from her what it was that was going on in her mind.

“You should have gone with Diggle,” Felicity said. There was annoyance in her tone and she knew Oliver could hear it too. Although, there was also something else there; something Oliver wasn’t sure he should name, because he couldn’t quite believe he was hearing it.

“Diggle had the final bomb handled,” Oliver reminded her. “Lance was with him too. Everything was under control there and you know damn well why I came after the Count.”

“Do I?” Felicity finally turned, meeting his eyes. Her question hung between them for a moment, but Oliver didn’t have time to reply before Felicity continued. “Do I  _ really _ , Oliver? You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger like that. You didn’t even know for sure what you were facing, but you just came there with your damn bow and nothing else!” Her voice was raised toward the end of her rant and Oliver’s nostrils flared.

“He had  _ you _ , Felicity,” Oliver said, glaring at her because he hated how she was turning the whole thing around on him now. What did it matter if he had put himself in danger? They all did that every day, every night, whenever they went out on a hunt.

“I’m not worth it, Oliver!” Felicity snapped, her voice sounding thicker now. “You can’t risk your own life every  _ fucking  _ time mine is on the line! You have to think about the bigger picture!” Her breaths were coming out harshly. Oliver could see the tears that were building in her eyes as she tried desperately to keep her emotions in check.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Oliver stared at her, mouth falling open. “Of course you’re fucking worth it, Felicity. You’re  _ always  _ going to be worth it.” He took another step toward her, but she refused to meet his eyes now. “Felicity, he had you and there was no choice to make,” he said, this time, his voice softer. He could see the myriad of emotions on her face; he could  _ sense  _ her confusion, fear and everything else inside of him. It gave him courage to keep going, to keep pushing because he wasn’t going to let her do this, not now, not ever.

His words echoed the words that she had told him when she had revealed his identity to Barry. When Oliver’s life had been on the line, she had done everything in her power to save him. How could she think that he would do anything less for her? His jaw clenched and he looked at her, not knowing what else he should say. He had made the decision to put her first, to risk Shrapnel’s escape in case Diggle and Detective Lance didn’t get to the bomber in time, all so that he could save her.

A sob broke through the silence that had fallen between them and Oliver looked at her face. She wiped at her cheeks furiously, but he could see that she was crying openly now. 

“I’m a monster,” Felicity said, tears falling from her eyes. “I’m a killer, just like all the other Dark Ones. You were right about me since the beginning. You were right not to trust me,” she told him, shoulders shaking with every heartbreaking sob.

“Felicity,  _ no, _ ” Oliver said, reaching out for her with his hand. Felicity flinched away from his touch and he paused, dread filling him. “You’re not a monster. I didn’t know you when I first met you, but you showed me who you are and you are  _ not  _ a killer.”

Felicity looked up at him then, hesitantly. Through her tears, Oliver could still see some ferocity in her, but she seemed resolved too, tired. Perhaps she was too exhausted to fight back.

“Tell me the damn truth, Oliver,” she said, her voice steady.

Oliver watched her and shook his head, “I  _ am _ telling you the truth.” He met her eyes once more. “You are not a monster and you are not a killer. What the Count did to you… He did that so that he could make you snap.”

“He succeeded then, didn’t he? He proved that I was just like the rest of the Master’s minions,” Felicity said, wiping at her cheeks. She felt as if her emotions were all over the place. Everything that she had been keeping in while she had been a wolf was slowly seeping out of her. She couldn’t believe how she had managed to just turn everything off for a while.

Oliver moved forward and grabbed a hold of her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes this time. “Stop,” he told her. “Stop saying that when you know deep down it isn’t true. You’re nothing like them and you never will be. I had already shot the Count before you…” He trailed off momentarily as the images once more flooded his mind. “What happened, happened. We can’t go back and change things, but you have to know that no one is blaming you for what happened,” Oliver said and this time, Felicity did look directly into his eyes, searching. “Neither Diggle nor I blame you for what happened. Tommy doesn’t either. Roy, Thea… They will understand when they learn the truth. Felicity, you were put in an impossible situation and pushed to do something that you would normally never do,” he tried to remind her. His thumbs brushed over her skin where the shirt she was wearing had fallen off of her shoulder. “The fact that you are blaming yourself like this, for the death of that  _ madman _ , just proves that you are nothing like  _ them _ ,” he said gently and he could see that he was slowly breaking through.

Felicity eyed him, silent tears falling from the corners of her eyes. Finally, she dropped the dress she had been holding. It fell to the floor, by their feet. Felicity placed her hands on his chest in a moment of weakness, but then, when she realized what she was doing she pushed him back instead, trying to create some space between them. The move was weak, as if she was no longer trying.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said, voice broken.

Oliver breathed in harshly at the loss of contact, but he didn’t approach her, no matter how much he wanted to just pull her into his arms again. “Like what?” he asked, his own voice wavering. “ _ Felicity… _ ” She flinched at the sound of her name falling from his lips, but Oliver refused to let this go. “Felicity, like what?” he repeated, this time stronger than before.

“Like I mean something more to you,” she told him, needing him to understand. “Like we aren’t just standing here today because I practically forced my way into your life. Like you want to pull me back and stop me from self-destructing. Like you…” Her words trailed off and she closed her eyes, inhaling a shaky breath. Oliver understood her doubts, but after everything… He didn’t have any. He knew what he wanted; he knew  _ who  _ he wanted.

“Like I  _ what? _ ” he pressed, once again.

Felicity’s eyes opened slowly and she turned to meet his gaze once more. She seemed hesitant, afraid to say what was on her mind but he needed her to say it because he could already  _ feel  _ it between them. Things had never been cleared. 

“Like you… Like you love me,” she whispered, blue eyes shining with tears even as she said the words she seemed afraid to utter.

Everything around him was spinning, it seemed. All the events that had occurred since he had met her replaying themselves in his brain as he focused on the only thing that mattered to him now;  _ Felicity. _ He remained standing where he stood, not daring to close the distance between them.

“But I do,” he finally confessed, chest soaring at the admission that he had kept inside of him for so long. His voice had been so quiet that he was sure that if she hadn’t been a hybrid, she wouldn’t have heard him. “I do, Felicity,” he repeated, this time louder and more sure. “I do love you.”

“But you  _ can’t _ ,” Felicity said, her voice cracking. Something inside of her soared, but she forced herself to push it down. She couldn’t believe that he had said it. How could he love her, after what she had done? “What I’ve done, it’s unforgivable. You can’t-”

“You’ve forgiven me for everything that I’ve done,” Oliver interrupted her. “You’ve given me a second chance even when I didn’t deserve it and you’ve allowed me to be a better man. You didn’t give up on me, and I’ll  _ never  _ give up on you either, Felicity,” he said. His entire body was humming, something inside of him tugging at his heartstrings, making him want to just walk up to her. He waited though, meeting her eyes as he tried to convey every emotion that he had ever felt in regards to the beautiful woman in front of him. “Felicity, I love you,” he told her again, not being able to stop the words from coming out now that he had finally spoken them.

Another sob fell from Felicity’s mouth, but this time, it was mixed with something else. Oliver wasn’t sure who moved first, but before he could even register what was happening, her lips were on his and his fingers were tangled in her hair.

-§-

It started out slow, with just a press of their lips against one another. He didn’t need a moment though, like he might have thought he would need. Instead, the second Felicity’s lips brushed his, Oliver’s hands raised, his fingers settling in her damp hair. For another second, it was nothing more than that; their lips pressed together and Oliver’s fingers in her hair. The next, they began moving against one another, almost furiously.

Oliver’s heart pounded in his chest, louder than it ever had before. Everything inside of him was screaming at him that this was  _ right _ ; that this was how it should be. Him and Felicity, Felicity and him; them.

Together.

Felicity shuddered when Oliver’s hands untangled from her hair, falling to her back and going lower. The warmth of them came to rest on her hips and he pulled her a it closer so that her hips pressed against his. A gasp fell from her lips as Oliver’s tongue sought out hers and Felicity found herself clutching his shirt in her hands, trying to pull him even closer. His scent was intoxicating; the leftover smell of his deodorant, the subtle hint of leather and  _ him. _

Oliver groaned into her mouth when she pressed against him. His skin felt warm,  _ she  _ was warm against him. Oliver’s thumbs brushed tenderly over the skin under her shirt, but a part of him was still holding back. She might not be ready for anything else tonight. If this was a beginning, Oliver didn’t need anything else. He would be damned though, if he let her think that he didn’t love her. He had no doubts and he didn’t want her to have them either.

Breaking the kiss, Felicity pressed her forehead against his chest, breathing in his scent again. One of Oliver’s hands came up to the back of her neck, brushing the side of it comfortingly as his arm circled her. The embrace made her tremble against him and she shut her eyes tightly, suddenly overwhelmed. Oliver softly pulled back a little and Felicity tried to calm her breathing.

“Hey, hey… Felicity, look at me,” he told her and she finally did. Her muscles were tense and guilt welled inside of her because she could feel her fangs pressing in her mouth, wanting to slip out. Oliver met her eyes, his hand cupping her cheek as he brushed his fingers against the blackened veins that surrounded her eyes. He remembered how she had looked when she had snapped at Count; her eyes were glowing now too, but he wasn’t afraid. There was a crease between her eyebrows, as if she was trying to focus on not attacking him. Oliver decided to give her a moment, waiting her out.

The feeling of his thumb moving under her eye, as if he was trying to smooth out the veins that Felicity knew were there made her chest ache.

“I’m sorry,” she said, remembering what had happened in Russia. He had pulled back from her then when she hadn’t been able to control herself. What had happened after that, she had forgiven, but she still remembered the way she had felt when her loss of control had caused him to let her go. Even now, after his confession, a part of her was afraid that he might pull away again.

Oliver though, shook his head when she started to avert her eyes. “Don’t,” he said, cupping her cheeks to pull her attention back to him. Her pupils were dilated, heavy with arousal and something else. He knew that his eyes probably mirrored hers.

Felicity watched him, eyes shining golden still and Oliver looked at her lips, the way that they were slightly swollen, pink and wet. Slowly, he leaned down again, pressing another light kiss against them, savoring the moment. “You’re so damn beautiful,” he told her, his lips a hairsbreadth from hers, brushing against hers ever so lightly.

Meeting her eyes again, he saw how the golden hue slowly faded, the small ring of her iris returning to her blue shade. Her eyes shone back at him, almost in disbelief and a small sound that he couldn’t quite place fell from her lips.

“I love you,” she finally said, her voice choked. “Oliver, I love you.”

Whatever it was that she had seen in his eyes when he had looked at her seemed to have convinced her. Pressing his forehead against hers, he took a hold of her hands. Closing their eyes, they stayed still for a moment, just breathing each other in. Then, Felicity tugged gently on his hand and Oliver followed her wordlessly back to her room.

It felt like a dream, a good one for once, and yet, it felt unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He was walking in a daze, but his mind had never been clearer.

They entered Felicity’s bedroom and she stopped in front of the bed, looking down for a moment before facing him. Biting her lip, her eyes flashed gold for just a second, her hands moving to the hem of her shirt. Oliver watched, eyes darkening when she lifted the garment over her head, baring herself to him. Taking in the soft swell of her breasts, the way her nipples pebbled and how the corner of her mouth hesitantly lifted into a small smile, Oliver swallowed thickly. 

Felicity hadn’t known for sure if Oliver would want this tonight, but it felt right. They had waited for so long, letting everything around them stop them from the one thing that had always been present between them. She couldn’t believe how long it had been; how long she had loved him and he had loved her, without saying a word about it.

Her momentary hesitation melted away when Oliver met her eyes and lifted his own shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor. Stepping closer, he reached out, his fingers brushing over her sternum, down to her taut stomach. She was so soft and yet not, lean muscles under her skin, showing her strength. Felicity’s skin was so warm and he couldn’t remember ever having felt someone so  _ alive. _ It contradicted everything he had thought about her in the beginning, when they had met. Back then, a part of him had believed that she would be cold as ice. He had been proven wrong on so many occasions that he wasn’t even sure why the warmth of her startled him now. There were scars on her skin too, he noticed. Small white lines that she had most likely acquired from her days as a wolf. His head fell forward, coming rest in the crook of her neck. His calloused fingertips moved over her stomach, touching the marks, memorizing them as he kissed her neck, suckling lightly at the soft skin there. Felicity’s hands rose to the back of his head, fingernails scraping lightly against his nape, running through the short hair there. Having Felicity in his arms like this, her bare chest pressed against his, their hearts beating in union… He hadn’t felt this way in a long time. In fact, he didn’t think he had ever felt this way about anyone before.

“I’m not alone anymore, am I?” Felicity asked him and he realized she had been struggling to accept that just as much as he had. Yes, they had their other team members, but he knew what she was talking about. This wasn’t about belonging in a family; this was about belonging to  _ someone _ .

“You’re not alone,” Oliver confirmed, his chest expanding as he inhaled, “and you never will be.” His lips ghosted over hers, but Felicity’s hands found the waistband of his sweats, tugging on the strings, undoing the knot quickly. The speed of her movement made Oliver pause for just a second before he leaned down. Oliver chased her lips as she took a step back, and this time, she  _ smiled  _ when she lowered herself down on the bed, crawling backwards as she removed her sweatpants. Oliver got rid of his own quickly, the job made easier now that Felicity had undone the string. He climbed after her, following her onto the bed. He couldn’t look away from her, not until he covered her body with his, their lips connecting once more. With only his boxers and her panties separating them, Oliver couldn’t help but press against her. He was so hard that he couldn’t even comprehend how he had gotten there so fast. It was Felicity, he was sure. She had some kind of hold over him that he couldn’t understand. Inside his mind, he heard something whisper; an old memory that he had been afraid to ask her about. Now wasn’t the time though, because Felicity’s hands grasped his arms and he swallowed back a moan as she grinded back up against him. It was still too little. He needed to feel her.

“Felicity, are you sure…?” The words fell from his lips, mostly because he needed to know. Felicity pulled back from their kiss, blinking up at him. Her fingers brushed against his cheek and she sighed. “After everything… Do you really think I want to stop this now?” she asked. Then she paused for another moment, frowning. “Are  _ you  _ sure?” she questioned and Oliver couldn’t help the light laughter that fell from his lips. Kissing her again, Oliver’s chest felt light when Felicity smiled back against him, making it difficult to kiss her properly. Instead, he settled for trailing kisses down the side of her neck, moving down, following an invisible line. Tongue laving down her skin, he relished the taste of her, trying to commit it to memory. Making his way down her body, he pressed his lips against the waistband of her panties. Felicity’s breath hitched and Oliver glanced up at her, holding her gaze as he slowly slid the material down her legs. Felicity bit her lip again to keep herself from moaning loudly, allowing him to move her legs up, bending them at the knees. Her legs fell open and Oliver didn’t waste any time, taking a broad lick from her entrance to her clit, making Felicity gasp. His tongue laved at her and her wetness only served to make him impossibly harder. Felicity’s fingers tangled in his hair, tugging almost painfully, making him groan against her. Felicity let out a low sound of protest and Oliver instantly pulled back, concerned eyes meeting hers.

“I, uh… No offense, but I  _ really  _ want you inside of me now,” Felicity admitted, almost sheepishly. Her cheeks were flushed and Oliver’s lips slowly spread into another grin. “Like, we’ll have time for that later, right?” She seemed hesitant, pupils blown and Oliver couldn’t help but press a light kiss to the inside of her thigh, his stubble scratching against her soft skin. His lips were still wet with her, and even though he had just gotten a taste of her, he swore to himself that they  _ would  _ have time for that later.

“You’re right,” he nodded, lips against her skin. “We have time.”

“Did I ruin it?” Felicity asked. “Did I ruin the moment?” she clarified when he looked at her confusedly.

Oliver chuckled again, moving up, settling between her legs. He lowered himself enough so that she could feel his hardened arousal still covered by his boxers. “Trust me, you didn’t ruin anything,” he told her, grinning down at her.

Felicity shook her head in disbelief, but she couldn’t help but smile back at him. Everything that she had been feeling before, all the worry she had held inside of her heart for so long… With Oliver close, it was a little bit easier to breathe again. 

Oliver was startled when she pushed him and he suddenly found himself on his back. His hands gripped Felicity’s hips when she straddled him, grinding down against his hardness and he bit back another moan. Reaching down, Felicity lifted herself up long enough to assist him in pulling down his boxers. Oliver kicked the offending garment the rest of the way off and this time, when Felicity settled against him, he could feel the heat and wetness of her covering him. She leaned down, her blonde hair tickling his skin as she pressed her lips against his.

“I love you,” Oliver told her again, his hands on her bare back. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and Felicity adjusted herself accordingly, her arms winding around his neck, her bare chest against his. “I trust you,” Oliver said, tilting his head to the side.

For a second, Felicity didn’t understand what it was that he was saying. When she finally got it, her eyes widened.

“Oliver, you don’t have to-” she started, but he quickly interrupted her.

“I want to,” he said, sounding so sure of himself that she knew she shouldn’t doubt him. “I want to do this again. With you. Only with you.”

Felicity hesitated, but Oliver could see that a part of her wanted it too. They had only done it once and afterward, Felicity had admitted that he had been the first person she had ever done a blood exchange with. The emotions he had felt then, the way that everything had felt heightened about Felicity… He wanted to feel it again, but this time, he wanted them to be connected too; not only emotionally, but physically as well. He had to show her that she could do this, without hurting him.

“Not right away,” Felicity finally said. “Soon.”

Oliver searched her eyes, needing to know that she wasn’t just saying that. He needed her to believe in herself like he believed in her. She held his gaze and Oliver knew that she was telling the truth. They would do the exchange again, he knew, and he trusted her.

Oliver nodded and then, Felicity reached down between them, grasping his hard cock in her hand. A sound that was a cross of a gasp and a moan fell from his lips when she started stroking him. He squeezed his eyes shut for just a moment to get himself under control, needing to focus so that he wouldn’t blow his load and end this too quickly. He had always prided himself in having stamina, especially when he had been younger, but with Felicity, he could hardly tell what was up and what was down. She unwound him in ways that no one ever had before; made him learn not only about himself, but the world around him too.

His fingers gripped her hips tightly, “You need to stop that, before-”

“Okay,” Felicity said, halting her movements, but not before brushing at the bead of cum that had gathered at the head of his cock. She kissed him again, stifling his groan, and the next thing he knew, she was positioning him at her entrance. Their mouths separated momentarily, breaths mingling as she lowered herself down, her wet heat surrounding him.

They stilled for a moment, mouths open and breaths slow. Drinking each other in, Oliver reached up, cupping Felicity’s cheek and pulling her back down for a kiss. Tongues moving languidly against one another, Felicity slowly rocked forward and then moved in a slow, circular motion. She have herself some time to adjust to having Oliver inside of her, kissing him before she began moving again. Oliver’s hands returned to her hips, fingers pressing into her skin as he guided her up and down his thick length.

“Oh,” Felicity gasped against his mouth when he jerked his hips up into her and her name fell from his lips when she leaned back a bit. Her hands were on each side of his head, grasping the sheet as her hips rolled forward and he thrust back up into her. She gasped when he hit a certain spot and he repeated the motion, bringing her closer to the edge.

Her eyes flashed golden for a second and she pushed herself back a bit. Lifting her hand, Oliver watched as her claws extracted. Felicity pressed one of them against her neck, breaking the skin there, just like last time. Oliver pushed himself up so that he could sit, tongue darting out instantly as he lapped up the trail that a drop of blood had left when it started trickling down to her chest. Latching on to the small cut she had made, the taste of her blood filled his mouth, coppery but at the same time sweet, just as the previous time. He sucked slowly at her neck and in that moment, he remembered just why he had told Felicity that they shouldn’t do this again. The intimacy, the closeness… He had been afraid of it before, but now, he craved it. Felicity continued to move against him. Heat rose inside of him, coiled tight and he knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. 

As he continued to suck at her skin, allowing her blood to intoxicate him, Felicity finally leaned down. Oliver felt her fangs scraping against his neck and he tilted his head a bit, trying to give her easier access. This time, when Felicity finally bit down, Oliver pulled back from her skin for just a moment so that he could let out the guttural moan that had been building in the back of his throat. He wasn’t even sure how he managed it, but as Felicity slowed her movements, too focused on the taste of his blood, Oliver rolled them over. He latched on to her neck again, tongue laving at the small cut as Felicity continued to drink from him. His hips snapped against hers, pistoning into her as he pushed himself to respond to her wordless commands. She was everywhere, melting into him, surrounding him where they were joined yes, but also in his mind. It was as if he could hear her inside his head, singing his name, urging him to go faster, harder. Muscles wound tight before finally, everything around him seemed to explode. Pleasure ripped through his body and the intensity of his orgasm left his mind blank. All he could focus on was Felicity, who pulled back from his neck, meeting his eyes when her own mouth fell open in a wordless cry.

“ _ Oliver. _ ” She said his name so softly, but it tore him back to reality unlike anything else, grounding him. He could feel her walls tightening around him, her fingernails, now human, scraping over his back as she panted against him. “Oh my God…” she breathed out, sweat beaded at her forehead. Oliver brushed her wet hair back, watching her as she licked at her lips that were still covered in his blood. He leaned down, nuzzling against her neck, her wound already healing. He could feel his own skin stitching itself up due to the blood he had taken from her. Oliver pressed his lips hotly against her throat, loving the feel of her pulse against his lips. He moved to her lips once more, tasting and licking into her mouth, wanting to devour her completely, like she had done to him. She had taken him, body and soul and he was hers. There was no other choice to make and there never would be, he knew. He didn’t need anyone else, as long as he had her.

Softening inside of her, Oliver slowly pulled out. Felicity groaned at the loss of him and Oliver almost wished that he could have stayed inside her for just a little longer. Then, for a moment, worry filled him when he felt the stickiness between them and he remembered that they had been so wrapped up in one another that they had forgotten-

“It’s fine, Oliver,” Felicity interrupted his thoughts, her fingers running through his sweaty hair. “We’ll be okay, I promise.”

He decided to take her word for it, opting instead to lay his head against her bare chest, over her heart. He listened to it beating while their breathing evened out. Then, he sat back up and looked down at her sleepy smile. Oliver kissed her gently and stood up, walking off to the bathroom, not bothering to pull his clothes on. 

Felicity appreciated the view, although she worried where he might be going. Surely, he wouldn’t leave the apartment nude, although she wanted him close to her She  _ needed  _ him to be close to her.

Oliver returned quickly though,  with a wet towel after cleaning his face from any excess blood and Felicity spread her legs, allowing him to clean her the best he could. Quickly discarding of the towel, he pulled the covers that had gathered at the end of the bed around them. Felicity turned on her side, facing him and Oliver reached out, their fingers interlacing between them as their legs tangled and he pulled her closer.

“I love you,” he told her again, leaning forward so he could press his lips against her forehead. His heart was still beating hard in his chest, but the feeling of completion went beyond anything he had ever felt.

“I love you,” Felicity repeated to him. She smiled a bit and Oliver could see that the pain that had been there before seemed to have faded just a little. “I’m yours, Oliver.”

He pulled her hand against him, placing it over his heart so she could feel the truth in his words. A part of him was sure she didn’t need it though, because there was something new between them; a connection that had been dormant, but that had finally broken free. It was almost as if her body was singing for him and he was able to pick up on everything that she was feeling too. The feeling was nearly overwhelming, but Oliver had never felt more at home. Still, he pressed her palm against his heart and returned the words to her, “And I am yours, Felicity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna go ahead and say feel free to comment. I hope you didn't hate it. Comments are motivation and I'm starting the next chapter with a bang (pun totally intended) if you're so kind to share your thoughts. A lot of things are happening in the next one too and I'm going to try to get it out within the next TWO weeks, because I have some assignments coming up in school. Once again, thank you for reading and supporting this story. I really hope you didn't hate the chapter. Best bits? I kind of liked exploring Oliver communicating with Felicity while she was a wolf. That was also meant to be the kind of funny scene. I dunno... I was tired when I wrote that! :P Okay, I'm rambling on because I'm nervous to hear your reactions. Thank you so much and feel free to come scream at me on twitter or tumblr! :D Until next time! xx
> 
> P.S. Always practice safe sex peeps. I feel like I needed to say that too. Oh, and don't worry about the implications of Oliver and Felicity not using protection this time around. That's definitely a discussion for the next chapter. :)


	29. The Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everything that happened between them, Oliver and Felicity are finally given a moment to breathe. The calm before the storm gives them the opportunity to talk about what they mean to one another and finally come to some realizations about their bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I needed to get some things in order because as some of you may have noticed, this story is about to be tied up, which means I need to watch those loose ends... Either way, thank you so much for the MINDBLOWING response on the previous chapter! I was so nervous because of my big re-write, but I am so incredibly happy that you enjoyed the final product as much as I did. Thank you.
> 
> Now, without further delay, please enjoy this chapter that I'm not 100 % sure is okay, but I'll be happy to hear your thoughts either way. Oh, and there are some sweet moments in the beginning too, but I'm sure you won't mind that! ;) xx

**Hunted**

**Chapter 29: The Visitor**

 

Warmth.

Warmth and contentment.

No, warmth, contentment and something else that before last night had been left unsaid between the two of them.

Oliver opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to adjust his sight to the light that was slowly filling the room. Everything was brighter, somehow, and for a moment, he was confused as to why before remembering everything that had transpired between him and Felicity the night before. He laid on his back now, looking up at the ceiling, Felicity’s head on top of his bare chest, her ear over his heart and her naked body pressed tightly against his. One of her arms was laying over his middle, her leg thrown over his. He had both his arms around her, holding on to her tightly and Oliver couldn’t help but glance down, seeing only the top of her blonde head, but feeling how relaxed she was against him.

Sunlight warmed him through the sliver between the curtains and Oliver pressed his lips lightly against the top of Felicity’s head, his thumb moving over the soft skin of her arm. A small sound fell from her lips and she nuzzled her face against his chest. The effect was instant; heat blossomed low in his belly and his heart beat just a little faster inside his chest. He stopped stroking her skin, pausing as he felt Felicity’s smile against his skin.

“You’re loud,” she mumbled against him, her lips brushing against his chest. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet and she hadn’t moved other than turning her face more into him.

“I didn’t say anything,” Oliver pointed out, his voice thicker in the early morning hours. He wasn’t even sure what time it was. There was no way to know how much time had passed since he and Felicity finally fell asleep. For all he knew, the world might have ended during the night, but he was still content, happy.

“Your mind,” Felicity clarified, stretching against him, her bare breasts brushing against him. “You’re thinking too loud. It’s early.”

“Can you hear them? My thoughts?” Oliver questioned, not really sure whether that was a possibility. After all, last night had been-

His thoughts were interrupted when a giggle fell from Felicity’s lips. She twisted and lifted herself up a bit, moving so that she could lay on top of him. Oliver’s arms wrapped around her, settling low on the small of her back, just beneath the comforter that barely covered her backside. Her blonde locks brushed against his chest when Felicity tilted her head, peering down at him curiously. The sight of her bright blue eyes brought a smile to his face and he couldn’t help but grin at her as he moved one of his hands up to cup the back of her head.

Felicity didn’t resist when he pulled her downward. Instead, she closed her eyes the second before his lips pressed against hers. Her palms rested flat against his chest, right over his heart and it was difficult to kiss her when neither of them seemed to be able to stop smiling. A low chuckle fell from Oliver’s lips and he blinked his eyes open, meeting hers instantly.

“Good morning,” Oliver said, pecking her lightly on the lips again.

“Morning,” Felicity returned, brushing her fingers lightly over his forehead. The way that she was looking at him, as if she couldn’t quite believe that he was really there with her… Oliver could relate.

“Did you sleep well?” Oliver asked, his own hands once against settling on Felicity’s back, thumbs moving over her warm skin. He watched her face and he felt something shift inside of him. The easy smile he’d had on his face faltered and he tightened his grip on her automatically, making her meet his eyes. “I felt that,” he said, his voice low again, worried. “Why?” he wondered, knowing that she would understand.

It didn’t make sense at first, how he seemed to be able to pick up on what she felt. It wasn’t exactly as if he was seeing what was going on inside her head, but rather that he felt it in his chest; the turmoil that was still raging on inside of her.

Inside her soul.

“All those people, Oliver,” Felicity started, sounding unsure. This was something new for her too, he understood. Neither of them had ever had someone connect with them on such a level before. When Felicity stopped speaking, Oliver decided to  _ listen _ , not with his ears, but with his heart.

He felt the guilt that she felt, heard the way that she was still aching for all the people who had died in the bombings. He focused and understood where the pain laid.

“How can I be allowed to be this happy when I’m the reason that so many died?” Felicity asked, voicing her thoughts, the same thoughts that Oliver had already picked up on. It wasn’t about heightened emotions due to the blood exchange; they were connected somehow and Oliver  _ knew  _ what it was without having to actually voice it. Eventually, they would have to talk about that too.

“I told you last night, that what happened isn’t on you,” Oliver told her, trying to sound reassuring while also making her  _ feel _ his earnest. He didn’t really know how this new connection between them worked, but so far, he hadn’t exactly been able to read her mind. He just understood.

Felicity watched him quietly for another moment. Her fingers trailed over his skin again and Oliver’s own hands slid further down her back, sliding over the curve of her ass, resting there. He didn’t want to distract her, but he could feel that she needed to know that he was there with her. For a split second, he thought that he might have misinterpreted the signals she was sending him, but then Felicity moved slightly, her hot center brushing over his already half-hard member.

His grip on her hips tightened and Felicity pushed herself up, allowing the comforter to fall off of her completely. Oliver’s eyes traveled downward, over her nude body, hands moving over her skin without much thought. It was natural, this connection. He understood what she needed without her having to tell him anything. Moving, he turned them, gently laying Felicity down against the pillows. Her hair sprawled out and his mouth connected with hers again as he melted into her. It didn’t take long for the kiss to deepen, Felicity opening her mouth for him and her tongue moving languidly against his. A moan escaped her when Oliver’s fingers found their way to the juncture between her legs, digits probing her entrance. Felicity gasped, her lips parting from his when the tips of his fingers found her clit, rubbing her in tight, slow, almost lazy circles. She protested, hips lifting as she sought more pressure and Oliver bit down on his own lip to keep from moaning at the wetness that coated his fingers. Meeting her hooded gaze, he couldn’t help but lean down, his lips seeking hers. They kissed for a while, Oliver’s thumb keeping constant pressure on her clit as she desperately tried to make him move.

He knew that she could, of course. She was strong enough to shift their positions, if she really wanted to. However, Oliver suspected that there was something about the sweet, slow torture that had their blood buzzing with energy that was keeping her from doing so. His other hand found her thigh, fingers brushing over her skin until he reached her knee and finally, her calf. Gently, he pulled on her leg, hooking it around his waist as he situated himself more comfortably between her legs. Felicity reached down between them, placing her hand over his to guide his fingers into her and Oliver buried a groan against the side of her neck, his teeth scraping over her skin.

Instantly, memories of the night before flooded his mind again and involuntarily, Oliver grinded down into the mattress, breathing heavily into Felicity’s skin. It was embarrassing, the way that she made him feel like a hormonal teenager, not being able to control himself around her. Felicity sighed, her hips rolling up to meet his fingers that continued to move inside of her, quickening when he saw the wave of pleasure run through her, making her tremble.

She moaned his name and Oliver kissed the base of her throat, mumbling words of encouragement into her ear. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying, only that he could feel her inner walls tightening around his fingers, fluttering and coating his hand as a throaty moan tore from her lips. Working her through her orgasm, Oliver pressed his lips against her cheek, “Yeah, just like that, Felicity… Just like that.”

“Oliver,” she panted, her fingers finding purchase in his hair as she crushed their lips together. He kissed her hard, so different from the sweet kisses they had shared just moments ago. It was like pouring everything that he felt about her into a single kiss, a mixture between the one that had started it all the night before and the passionate, desperate moment they had shared in Russia. Back then, it had been fueled by jealousy from his side, words and thoughts he would never have dared to reveal. Now, he kissed her the way that he had always wanted to, the way he had always thought that she deserved to be kissed.

Oliver found himself on his back suddenly, Felicity hovering over him with a grin on her face. Their bodies were warm, a thin layer of sweat covering them both.

“Your turn,” she said, voice raw as she pressed a kiss against his chest. It took his mind a moment to register the fact that she had started trailing kisses lower, and he didn’t stop her until her lips against his hipbone made him jerk up.

“Wait,” he said, cheeks hot. “What about…?”

Felicity raised an eyebrow at him, her head tilting to the side again as she watched him with that same curiosity as before. “You don’t want me to suck your-?”

“Felicity,” Oliver interrupted, sounding almost chastising. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to blow him. In fact, he was pretty sure that at least seventy-five percent of his dreams about her in the beginning of their partnership had been about her blowing him in the office during after hours. The problem was that he would rather be inside her right now, much like she had stopped him from going down on her the way he would have liked to last night.

“Oh,” Felicity breathed out, seeming to catch on to what he wanted. “In that case, I think we should be on the safer side and use protection.”

Brushing back her hair, Oliver looked at her, “Last night we didn’t…”

When he trailed of, Felicity only nodded. “I told you we would be fine, which we most likely will,” she told him. “Being a wolf doesn’t somehow give me automatic birth control abilities, but it  _ does  _ make me a bit different from humans. I… I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. It messes up my… It’s the same with humans, you know? Like, stress can sometimes cause women to ovulate differently and that fucks up their cycle and essentially-”

“Felicity,” Oliver shook his head at her, stopping her from rambling. “I understand basic biology, even though I might not remember everything from what I learned in high school.” He looked at her carefully, “What were you saying about you being different because you’re a wolf?”

Felicity shrugged lightly, looking sheepish, “It’s like… Sometimes we  _ shut off _ that part of ourselves, I suppose. It’s not something I can explain, and like I said, it doesn’t contraceptive measures, but it…”

Squeezing her legs, Oliver raised his eyebrow at her, “It…?”

Felicity’s cheeks flushed at his prompting. “Maybe not exactly ‘shut off’ as much as it is ‘slow down’,” she sheepishly said.

“You mean you slow down my-”

“Yeah,” she interrupted, cheeks still red. It was lovely, Oliver thought to himself. Felicity’s lips spread into a small smile, as if she had read his mind. “I felt that,” she said, repeating the words he had said to her a couple of minutes ago.

“You felt what?” he wondered.

“Your affection,” she replied, a serene look falling over her face. She no longer looked embarrassed by the conversation they had been having. Oliver felt her reciprocation, like a flood of warmth and love washing over him.

“I love you,” he said, and it really was as simple as that. He no longer understood where his worries had stemmed from; now it all seemed so unnecessary. They loved one another and he felt as if they could overcome anything, as long as they stayed together. He grunted when she moved against him suddenly, reminding him of what they had been doing earlier before they had decided to talk about contraceptive measures for wolves. “You’re telling me that it’s basically the same biologically as with any human,” Oliver tried to clarify, “except for the fact that your body ‘senses’ when it’s the right time or whatever and slows down my-”

“Swimmers,” Felicity nodded, finishing for him.

“That’s... _ interesting _ ,” Oliver mused, finding it funny how she didn’t seem to want him to elaborate or dig deeper into the matter. “Does that mean that we could, one day…?”

He felt it again, that rush of love as she looked down at him. There was a bit reservation mixed into it as well, but Oliver tried to give her a reassuring look.

“We could,” she nodded slowly. “If we wanted to, one day… Do you want to?” she asked and Oliver knew where her concern stemmed from. They had just gotten together last night, but they had been circling one another for much longer than that. Oliver couldn’t remember exactly when it was that he had known that he was in love with her, but the moment he had realized it, everything had changed for him.

The thought of having kids one day had never been a part of his plan when he had returned to Starling City. He had never expected to find someone or fall in love and he knew for certain that he hadn’t really expected to survive as long as he had. Oliver had been an empty shell, a killing machine set on protecting the people of Starling, but in turn, he had lost himself. When Felicity had come into his life, he had hated her and he had loathed the fact that he somehow just couldn’t  _ quit her _ . Falling in love with her had happened unexpectedly, although he was glad that he had. Having her in his arms now, after everything that they had shared the night before, Oliver couldn’t help but think about what it would be like, to share a family with her one day.

“I know it’s too soon to talk about these things,” Felicity said. “With everything that’s going on and us being…  _ New _ , or whatever…”

“Felicity,” Oliver said, cupping her cheek softly. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning into his palm. “With you, one day,” he told her, hoping that he wouldn’t have to say anything else. Her eyes opened and she looked down at him, eyes bright.

“One day,” she said, repeating his words carefully and he hoped that she could feel it again, how much he loved her. When she shifted over him again, he remembered that they had more pressing matters at hand. The future was uncertain, but he knew for a fact that he would remain by Felicity’s side in whatever capacity that she allowed him to, until the day he died. Turning them again, a genuine laugh rang from Felicity when he started pressing quick kisses over her face and then her chest. She continued to giggle when he found a spot that tickled her, her laughter shifting into a moan when he sucked on her skin. He loved laying on top of her; he loved keeping her safe.

He loved her.

“So, you’re saying condoms then?” Oliver asked, nuzzling her cheek. Felicity laughed again but nodded against him. “And do you have any here or…?”

“There might be some in Roy’s room,” Felicity stated and Oliver groaned.

“I  _ really  _ don’t want to think about  _ why  _ there might be some in  _ Roy’s  _ room,” Oliver told her.

Felicity made him look at her, “Well, it’s not like I had a reason to buy condoms until now. Roy and Thea have been in a relationship for  _ ages _ . Did you expect them to remain celibate?”

“First of all, I don’t want to know what my sister does with her boyfriend,” Oliver said. “Secondly, I know very well that she’s an adult. Thirdly, why are we ruining the mood by discussing them?”

Felicity reached down between them and Oliver’s face fell back down against her chest when she grasped him. “As you so eloquently put it last night, the mood has clearly  _ not  _ been ruined,” she grinned, her thumb sweeping over the head of his cock.

“Mm… Okay, okay,” Oliver said, pushing back from her, standing. He looked at her for a second, naked and spread out on the bed, hair sprawled over the pillow. “Condoms,” he choked out, hurrying out of the room toward Roy’s. Felicity’s laughed made him smile, as he searched through Roy’s drawers until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed the whole pack before hurrying back to Felicity. When he saw her with her legs spread, working herself as she waited for him to join her again, Oliver couldn’t help but pause again. Her cheeks were flushed again, one of her hands moving from one breast to the other, pinching her hardened nipples as she moved her fingers inside of her.

“Oliver,” she said, head thrown back as her back arched slightly from the bed. “It’s not enough,” she told him, in a low whine. “I need you.”

Throwing the box of condoms on the floor beside the bed, Oliver tore one of the foil packs open with his teeth, not once taking his eyes off of her. Rolling the condom on, he stroked himself a few times before he crawled on top of her again, settling between her open. They had prolonged this enough.

Kissing her fiercely, Oliver reached down between them. He slowly removed her hand and pulled it up. Felicity watched and gasped when he licked at the two fingers she had just been working inside of her. Sucking on them, licking up every drop of her, Oliver relished in the taste of her. He reached down to touch her again, all while he suckled on her fingers. He needed to know that she was ready for him.

Finding her pussy dripping, he moaned around her fingers, finally pulling them out of his mouth. He guided himself into her, running the tip of his cock between her wet folds. His hands found hers and their fingers intertwined, resting over Felicity’s head. Sinking into her slowly, only an inch or two, Oliver pulled back again, leaving the tip inside her. Felicity let out another sound of protest and started moving her hips against him, but he moved, holding both her hands down with one of his as he reached down and held her hip, stilling her.

“We’re going slow,” he said, searching her eyes to make sure she would be fine with his decision.

“We’ve been going slow for too long, Oliver,” Felicity told him and he smiled before kissing her deeply again. His hand moved from her hip, down to her leg, once again hitching it over his waist. “Oliver, will you please just-  _ Oh _ ,” Felicity’s eyes fell closed when he entered her with one quick, hard stroke. Her lips parted, her breathing picking up with the force of his thrusts. Oliver released her hands so that he could instead focus on setting the pace. She clung to him and Oliver felt her fingernails digging into his back, every sound from her spurring him on.

“Oh my God,” she panted, looking up at him through hooded eyes. “ _ There _ ,” she gasped, when he hit a certain spot, stilling for a second before continuing moving inside of her. “Oliver, right there…”

“Fuck,” he grunted against her lips, forcing himself to keep going. He could feel her walls tightening around him, feel the flutter of her and it drove him crazy. “Felicity, I need you to- I want you to-”

He couldn’t even get the words out. Her nails extracted though, sharpening into claws and her eyes flashed gold. Oliver managed a chuckle, happiness making him almost lose his rhythm when Felicity ran her claw just over the top of her breast. The second she drew blood, Oliver lowered his head, lapping it up, sucking as he drew the red substance into his mouth. Felicity made another cut, higher up and closer to her shoulder. Oliver moved toward it when the one on her breast healed up. The flavor of her blood in his mouth only made him drive into her harder as he closed his eyes. Like the previous night, it was like seeing stars exploding behind his eyelids, all of Felicity’s emotions washing over him and making him feel her. It was like a blanket of something unexplainable surrounding him, heat that he couldn’t put words to because he could just sense that she was everywhere around him.

Oliver barely felt her fangs pierce his own skin. He lost himself in her and everything he felt once more, thrusting into her at an almost punishing speed. They needed it though, wanted it after last night. It was like Felicity had said before: they had gone slow for too long. Tasting her, smelling her and sensing her mind, feeling it weave and intertwine with his own was a sensory overload that he didn’t think he would ever get enough of. There was no way he would ever tire of having Felicity like this.

Felicity pulled back from where she had been drinking from him, head thrown back as she gasped his name, her legs tightening around his waist to keep him close when he finished with a hard thrust, sending her spiraling over the edge. “I love you,” she said, breathing heavily, lazy smile on her lips. He couldn’t keep himself from kissing her again, his reciprocation whispered against her lips.

-§-

Felicity sat on the stool in her kitchen, elbows on the counter and chin in her hands as she watched Oliver. They had wanted to stay in bed longer, but after a few minutes of post-coital bliss, Oliver’s stomach had growled in protest, making Felicity grin. Of course, she had offered to make him breakfast, but he had been adamant about being able to make them both something to eat. Quite frankly, she wanted to watch him mill around her kitchen, making himself at home as he prepared them some pancakes. He had only pulled on his boxers and a shirt, having had to take a clean one since Felicity had already tugged on the one that he had worn the night before. It was comforting, to have his scent surround her.

Not that she didn’t already, considering that she had been wrapped around him since the night before.

Still, the way that Oliver’s eyes had darkened at the sight of her in his shirt had sent a shiver down her spine. If he hadn’t been hungry for actual food at the time, Felicity was certain she would have jumped him and had her way with him. She knew though, that he needed to eat. While she had been partially sated by the blood exchange, she too couldn’t wait to see what Oliver cooked up for them.

Felicity couldn’t help but think about it. Sharing blood with someone, sharing blood with Oliver… She had done it before, that time after the Undertaking, but before that, she had never even considered it. Wolves didn’t drink blood, not like vampires did. For wolves blood was the conduit of the soul. Traditionally, it wasn’t meant to be consumed in any way, which was also why many wolves believed that killing innocents and drinking their blood was essentially what created blood wolves. There were stories told to the children in the packs sometimes, legends of horrors that followed if a wolf became obsessed with the taste of the souls. For hybrids, it was different though. It took a lot to make them lose control, the only exception being if a hybrid had been created through a blood wolf. Felicity thought back to Queen Consolidated, when she had woken up tied to the chair, staked embedded deep into her flesh and a container of vervain and wolfsbane water burning her feet. She had been weakened and the Count had managed to force bag after bag of blood into her mouth, down her throat. Felicity had choked on it and the madman had lashed out, twisting the stakes, making her scream. There had been something in the blood too, she had sensed. Later, when he had revealed how his sick plan had worked, she had understood that there must have been remnants of Vertigo left in the blood. It had made her even dizzier.

Felicity had never lost control before. She had never felt the need for blood in the way that vampires did. As a hybrid, human food would have been enough to sustain her. What had happened that night at the office had pushed her over an edge that she had feared she would never be able to come back from. The fear of losing herself, of becoming a blood wolf or something worse had consumed her and she hadn’t seen another solution, so she had returned to her roots.

“I’m sorry for what I put you through,” she said, looking over at Oliver who paused over the frying pan.

He looked over at her, eyebrows furrowing. “We already talked about this,” he stated, but she could sense that he wasn’t shutting her down. If she wanted to talk about it again, he wouldn’t stop her.

“I meant for turning into a wolf and not speaking to you for three days,” she clarified, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I couldn’t face what I had done, so I decided to run, emotionally.”

Oliver flipped the pancake before glancing over at her again, “Why?”

Felicity tapped her fingers against the counter, biting her lip nervously. After everything that they had been through, she wanted him to understand. She didn’t want to keep secrets from him or make him feel like she didn’t think that she could talk to him. He had made it clear to her how he felt; he had  _ shown  _ her, multiple times, both through his mind when they were connected and through staying when she had struggled the most.

“Losing control, consuming so much blood that you feel the urge to kill… That’s what creates a blood wolf,” Felicity said, knowing that Oliver was already aware of this. “After what I did… After killing the Count, all I felt was pain. I just… It was like watching myself break apart from the inside, everything felt wrong and I worried that I would lose myself and become a true monster.”

“Like a blood wolf,” Oliver concluded, setting down the spatula slowly as he moved the pan away from the stove.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded, keeping her gaze locked with his as he approached her. He came to stand between her legs and she tilted her head up so that she could look at him properly. Oliver’s hands settled on her shoulders, moved over her arms slowly, comfortingly.

“And you turned into a wolf instead,” he said. “To deal with what you felt.”

“I thought that if I reminded myself somehow, of what I truly was and where I came from… I thought I could stay in control. I was so afraid of losing myself, so overwhelmed by everything, that I didn’t know what else to do.” she explained, her hand clutching his shirt. “It wasn’t turning into a wolf that allowed me to remember who I was, though. It was  _ you. _ ”

She waited for his reaction, wondering to herself if maybe she should have waited to have this conversation with him until after they had eaten. The silence that fell around them made her worry, but she couldn’t pick up on any rejection on Oliver’s part. He was just deep in thought, she knew, and she couldn’t really blame him for that.

“I don’t want you to get mad,” he said suddenly, searching her eyes, “but Roy told me about his theory.”

Felicity looked at him and once again, there didn’t seem to be any sign of him pulling away from her. His hands were still on her shoulders, thumbs stroking her skin and her own hand was clutching his shirt while the other rested on his side.

“The soul bond,” she acknowledged, biting her lip. “It’s a mystery, even among the Dark Ones.”

“Roy didn’t get into too much detail, but he thought that the two of us might be connected through that,” Oliver said and Felicity could feel that he was determined to have this talk now that she had initiated it. “I saw the way that Roy reacted to Thea when he was turned. Is that the way that it works?”

“No one really knows,” Felicity admitted, remembering what she herself had observed between Roy and Thea. “It’s not like there’s a textbook on these things… At least not among wolves or vampires. Shapeshifters, the bellua ones, their history is based in ancient tribes all over the world. They originated from witches and  _ they  _ have a thing for writing everything they do down.”

Oliver nodded slowly, “Do you think Barry would have information on it then? Like, in his mother’s old books?”

“I don’t know,” Felicity said. “As I said, there are no guidelines for what being bonded like that means. It’s a connection, deeper than any other. There’s no definitive rule as to what kind of a connection it is though.”

“So it can be friendship too?” Oliver wondered.

“Yes,” Felicity replied. “Friendship, companionship…  _ Love. _ I’ve never witnessed it before though, which is why I didn’t believe in it when Roy first told me about it.”

Oliver chuckled, tightening his grip on her shoulders just slightly. “He told me of your skepticism,” he said. He paused for a moment before giving her a pointed look. “How do you feel about it now? Do you believe in it?” he questioned.

Felicity thought about everything that had happened between them since they met. How she had felt drawn to Oliver since the beginning, in a way that she couldn’t explain. Despite him hating her, everything inside of her had screamed at her that she needed to get him on her side. She had thought that it only had to do with her needing his help, but she knew that it was more than that. When Sara had come to town, after Russia, Felicity had been a bad place. The pain she had felt when she had found out what Oliver had done had been nearly unbearable and she knew that he must have felt it too. Their love for one another had always run deeper than either of them understood. Back then, when Sara had stabbed her, Felicity hadn’t been able to heal. Her emotions had affected her abilities, but she had been hurt emotionally before, so she knew it had to be something else. Roy had confronted her one night, telling her that he had done research on the web and in the library. He had read up on old legends about soulmates and then he had indicated that Oliver might be hers. Because she and Oliver hadn’t been emotionally connected, they had both suffered; Oliver, mentally by her absence and Felicity in a more physical manner since she was a wolf. Having a soul bond with Oliver would explain so much, but at the same time, raise so many questions. She didn’t know how the connection worked, only that they were more in tune with one another than with any other person. They understood each other and Oliver anchored her in more ways than one. When she had first turned into a wolf to show Roy what he would be dealing with when he eventually transformed, Oliver had been there and he had been able to reach out, through the wild beast and find  _ her. _ She had connected with him even back then. There was the blood exchange too, of course, that weighed in. It had heightened everything for her, making their connection even cleared. A single touch meant so much more, a look shared between them could hold an entire conversation, all because they were so deeply connected.

“I believe in you,” Felicity finally answered. “I believe that you saved me, pulled me back and anchored me. I believe in what we share… I believe in us.” She tightened her grip on his shirt, pulling him down to her level so she could rest her forehead against his. “I don’t know what being soul bonded means,” she told him, “but  _ mates  _ have existed among wolves since they first came to be. No matter what happens, you will always be mine. Somewhere, sometime… I  _ chose  _ you. If that’s because of destiny or fate or whatever, I don’t know. All I know is that you are my mate because I am choosing you, because I love you. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you or when I’m with you,” she said, closing her eyes, breathing him in. “I have found my place in the world and it is right here, by your side, for as long as you will have me.”

“Always,” Oliver replied instantly, cupping her cheek. Lightly, he pressed his lips against hers, keeping them there as he spoke again: “Always.”

-§-

Shortly after eating breakfast, Oliver was forced to text the others in their team that they were okay. Diggle and Tommy were still worried about Felicity, wanting to know more, but Oliver figured that they would be able to fill them in on the change in his and Felicity’s relationship later. Felicity had suggested that they stay at her place for the remainder of the day and for a moment, Oliver had been a bit concerned. She had smiled though and assured him that she wasn’t going to run from reality anymore, but rather that she wanted to spend some time with just him. That was how they had found themselves on the couch, Felicity’s feet in his lap as he rubbed her soles. Felicity told him more about her past, about growing up in Las Vegas, losing contact with her mother and never speaking to her again after she first turned into a wolf. Her mother hadn’t known about Felicity’s father having the gene, clearly, but Felicity wanted to keep her mother as far away from the Dark Ones as possible, even if that meant herself. Oliver in turn told her about himself, how he had been in his younger years, what had happened when he had been shipwrecked and some of what he had been through before he came back to Starling City.

There was a lot to talk about, many levels to cover, but they did their best, allowing their connection to grow. Oliver understood that being soulmates was a difficult thing to grasp, but at the same time, he knew that what he felt for Felicity went beyond love. At the same time, he picked up on her emotions and he  _ knew  _ that she felt the same for him. Whether or not such a thing as soulmates existed, Oliver knew that he would never want to be separated from Felicity ever again. They loved one another and he was hers as much as she was his. What they had was beyond someone or something coming between them. All he could hope for was that they would always remain by each other’s side, as Felicity had said.

“Do you think we’ll be even more connected if we keep sharing blood?” Oliver wondered then, meeting her eyes as she sighed. He continued to rub her feet, enjoying the fact that he could make her feel relaxed. It was strange, because he couldn’t remember if he had ever taken the time to do something as simple as massage someone’s feet. He’d been with many women in his younger days, but with Felicity, things were different in every capacity. She wasn’t just some girl he had hooked up with once; she was the love of his life and his soul was twined with hers.

“I know that the process is… _ pleasurable _ , with us,” Felicity started, looking deep in thought, “but we can’t ignore the fact that you’re human. I don’t really know what drinking blood feels like for you. I can’t imagine it’s as satisfying as drinking your blood is for me.” 

Oliver couldn’t help but think about the previous night and this morning, when he had tasted her. He’d had blood in his mouth before, mostly his own, but Felicity’s was something else. Beneath the tangy, coppery taste, there was also something else that he couldn’t put his finger on. It was just her, he supposed, and he proceeded to tell her as much.

Felicity listened intently, looking intrigued. He could guess what was going through her mind because he could pick up on some of her emotions still.

“It could be our bond,” she supplied after a moment. “The fact that we were already deeply connected with one another… Drinking each other’s blood could have just heightened our existing bond.”

Slowly, Oliver found himself nodding to agree with her. “Do you think we would have figured out the bond thing if we hadn’t shared blood?” he questioned, already knowing his own answer.

“What do you think?” Felicity smiled lightly, seeming to sense that he wanted to say something.

“I think, after being stubborn and stupid for a while… We would have figured it out,” he said. “I don’t know if we would have put the right word to it, but I’ve always been connected to you, since the day that I met you,” he told her. “I still remember that night in the Foundry, during the Undertaking when you collapsed. I had never felt such a thing in my life before, but your pain brought me pain. After that, when we were at my place, when we shared blood the first time… It was always there with us, I know that.”

She took in his words and he let go of her feet when she moved to pull them back from him. For a moment, he worried that he might have said something wrong, but the next thing he knew Felicity had moved so that she could straddle his lap. Her hands rested on his shoulders, her fingers occasionally reaching out to touch the hair at the nape of his neck.

“We were always meant to be.”

With those words, she summarized his thoughts completely. Just like there was no explanation for the soul bond, or how it all worked, but he knew it in his heart. If he had never met Felicity, he might have been able to live an average life eventually, if he had survived his hunting. He knew though, that he never would have felt as complete as he did with her by his side. Something would have always been missing and eventually, he would have lost himself to the darkness completely. He was sure of it. She had saved him, just as much as he had anchored her. They belonged together and if he had any say in it, they would be with one another for as long as they both lived. Deep down, he knew that it was a crazy thing to believe, but Oliver was certain that eventually their paths would have crossed somehow. It was a terrifying thought to think of a life where he and Felicity eventually wouldn’t have ended up where they were now. It was like she had told him earlier, during her own confession, though. Whatever it was that had brought them together, whether it was destiny or fate or something else, she had chosen him in the end, just like he had chosen her. Oliver was convinced that somewhere along the line, he would have met her. 

“If we keep sharing blood, you need to be careful,” Felicity told him then, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked at her, searching her eyes and he understood what she meant. If he died with her blood in his system, he would most likely turn into a vampire or something. Felicity was still more wolf than vampire, but it didn’t change the fact that it took a lot more to turn a person into a werewolf than it did vampire. With her being a hybrid, Oliver was certain that it was the vampire part of her that would make him turn, especially if he  _ died _ .

“We’ll be careful,” Oliver agreed. “ _ I’ll  _ be careful,” he clarified, thinking of how he wouldn’t be able to stay away from hunting. Especially since the Master was still out there.

“Oliver, I would never want to turn you against your will,” Felicity said. “With my blood, if you died… You wouldn’t die. A part of me wants to be relieved by the thought that I wouldn’t lose you, but I know that you would never want that for yourself. That’s why I don’t want that for you either.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her. His hands roamed her back, finding their way underneath the tanktop she wore. He didn’t have any words that could explain how much what she said meant to him, so instead, he would show her. Deepening the kiss, he adjusted their positions so that he was laying on his back and Felicity was above him. There was just something about her taking control and being on top that made everything a hundred times more intense for him. A part of him knew that Felicity needed it too; being in charge and controlling where things went between them was something that she needed.

Felicity trailed kisses down down his neck, her tongue tasting him with every other kiss. It sent a rush of blood south in his body and Oliver couldn’t help but grunt her name when she grinded down against his hardening length. She only smiled against his skin, trailing lower, pushing his shirt up to reveal his stomach. Oliver bit his lip when Felicity’s human teeth scraped against his abs, the muscles there straining from his efforts to stay absolutely still as she continued downward. Felicity glanced up at him through hooded eyes when she made herself comfortable between his legs, her fingers catching in the waistbands of his boxers. A noise that he would normally have been embarrassed for escaped him when Felicity started tugging the material down over his hips. His hand reached for her, but she looked up at him sharply, eyes flashing golden.

“If you tell me you don’t want this, I’ll stop,” Felicity told him. “You should know that  _ I  _ want this, though.”

Oliver looked at her, not really knowing what to say. Of course he wanted this; he wanted  _ everything  _ she offered him. Whatever she was willing to give, he would accept.

“Okay,” he nodded, his voice shaky. “Okay…”

Felicity’s lips quirked up, eyes still shining gold. “Good,” she said, licking her lips as she continued to pull down his boxers. Oliver’s breath was ragged, chest heaving as he watched Felicity take him in. When her plush lips finally wrapped around the head of his cock, the same sound as before fell from his lips, his fingers tangled in her hair and his head fell back against the couch.

-§-

Oliver’s arm was wrapped around Felicity and her head rested against his shoulder. They were on their way to the Queen mansion, it was already a bit late, but Moira had called Oliver, telling him that she wanted him to come over for a late dinner. Olivver had sheepishly told his mother that he was still with Felicity, but Moira had been insistent, telling him that he should bring Felicity too. Oliver had looked over at Felicity who had nodded, silently agreeing to come along. He hadn’t been sure that she would be up for it, especially since they had spent most of the day in various states of undress, exploring each other to the fullest.

They had gotten cleaned up and dressed, the shower taking a bit longer because Oliver hadn’t been able to keep himself from asking Felicity to join him. He had taken his time methodically washing her and she had done the same to him. Somehow, it had been almost therapeutic and they had needed it as to wind down a bit. Once they were ready, Oliver took Felicity’s hand in his and lead her outside where they decided to take a cab. Felicity’s car had been disposed of after her crash and Diggle had made sure that the company car Oliver had hot-wired was returned too. Since neither of them had an actual vehicle, it made sense to just get a cab. They didn’t exactly feel like calling up Diggle or Tommy to get a ride.

“I’m a little nervous,” Felicity admitted, her voice low.

“Don’t be,” Oliver told her, lifting her hand to his mouth so that he could kiss her fingertips. “You have nothing to be nervous about.”

“It’s just, your mom and I have always had a complicated relationship,” Felicity said. “She’s accepted what I am and all, but I don’t know if she’ll be happy that the two of us are together now.”

Oliver smiled at that, loving the fact that they actually  _ were  _ together. It wasn’t something he had conjured up in a dream or in his imagination. It was real.

“I bet you’ll be happy to know that she was kind of pushing me to reveal my true feelings for you then,” Oliver confessed. Felicity looked at him surprised, but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he kissed her softly, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the moment of it being just them. Felicity seemed happy to leave the conversation at that when they pulled apart and Oliver pressed another kiss against her temple, leaning his cheek against the top of her head when she settled against his shoulder again.

They arrived at the mansion at seven and something. Oliver payed for the cab and then stepped out with Felicity, twining their fingers together as they approached the main entrance. Upon entering, one of the maids took their jackets and Oliver could feel that Felicity was still nervous.

“Your mother, Mr. Steele and your guest are in the dining room, Mr. Queen,” the woman said.

“Guest?” Oliver asked, confused now. The maid only nodded and left him and Felicity without another word. Oliver turned his attention back to Felicity and felt a shift in her emotions. There was a tension in her shoulders that hadn’t been here before and it quickly transferred over to him as well.

“Oliver, something…” Felicity trailed off, shaking her head. She looked up at him, sniffed the air and then blinked a few times. He waited, expecting her to say something else but he could already feel the dread that was welling up inside of her.

“Let’s go,” he said, reaching for her hand as he guided her to the dining room. Her grip on his hand was tight and he could feel his stomach knotting. His heart pounded away in his chest as they reached the dining room. He could hear a man speaking, but it wasn’t Walter. The voice wasn’t unfamiliar either, which only made the entire thing more confusing for Oliver. Opening the door fully, he stepped inside, Felicity following closely behind. His eyes fell on his mother first, who was sitting in her usual seat around the table, next to Walter. The man who had been talking abruptly cut himself off when they entered the room and for a moment, everything was quiet.

Oliver stared at the man’s back, recognizing the broad shoulders and the tall frame as the man stood up, wiping his mouth with a paper towel before he turned to face Oliver. His heart fell to his stomach at the sight of the eye-patch and the tanned skin. The hair on Oliver’s arms rose as a cruel smile spread over the man’s face. Oliver felt Felicity’s fingernails dig into the palm of his hand and he knew that she could change the shift in him too.

Before him stood the one man that Oliver would never have expected to see again; the man that he thought that he had killed back on Lian Yu after he had released an arrow into his eye. The mastermind, the Master, stood before them finally, Oliver knew. The vendetta, the targeting of himself and the people that he cared about the most… It all made sense now.

“Mr. Queen,” Slade Wilson said, smile still on his face as he looked at Oliver from top to toe. “It’s been years.”

-§-

The second Felicity heard the man’s deep voice, it was as if something in her mind was released. Her grip on Oliver’s hand tightened and she moved quickly, pulling the man she loved back as she came to stand before him. The man, whose name she didn’t know only smirked at the sight of her protective stance before glancing back at Moira and Walter who were still sitting carefully still in their seats.

“Slade,” Oliver finally breathed out. The turmoil and confusion on his side was lashing out at Felicity’s own brain and she felt for him. Slade? As in his old master, Slade Wilson? The one that Oliver had told her about a while back? Felicity looked at the man still standing, wondering if it could truly be him.

“Still cowering behind the women who are stronger than you, I see,” Slade mused, bitterness dripping in his voice. “Or perhaps it’s just a newly established bond between the two of you that makes Ms. Smoak give in to her instincts?”

Slade looked at Felicity then and she  _ knew _ .

“You’re him, aren’t you?” she spat, anger welling inside of her. The memories of her treatment in captivity, the way that she had been tortured and forced to turn… The innocent lives that had been sacrificed, and for what?

“I am someone, that’s for sure,” Slade replied, one of his eyebrows quirking at her. “You might need to be a bit more specific, Ms. Smoak.”

“What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, and Felicity looked toward Moira and Walter who still hadn’t done anything to indicate that something was amiss. They were eerily quiet.

“Making my move,” Slade hissed, his eye flashing a dark yellow, momentarily flickering to red before returning to his normal color. Felicity remained standing in front of Oliver, but she could feel his anger and worry. It was only fueling her own. Slade continued to watch them for another moment and then snapped his fingers together. Instantly, Moira and Walter stood from their seats and made their way over to the man.

_ Compelled _ , Felicity realized. The madman had compelled them.

This wasn’t a final showdown, she sensed. This was all about Slade revealing himself to be alive, to throw them off balance and to make an example. He wanted to show them what he was capable of. Felicity had never been able to compel anyone, but Slade clearly had Oliver’s mother and stepfather under his compulsion. Whatever he had planned, Felicity knew that she couldn’t let them be hurt.

“Let them go, Slade,” Oliver bit out. “This isn’t about them.”

“No,” Slade said, his eyes flashing again which only made Felicity frown. The man was unstable, clearly. No matter his power, he seemed to be a bit too out of control, not being able to handle his emotions very well. “This is about hurting the people you love,” he said, lifting his hand in the air. “Compulsion is a fine tool,” he continued, motioning for Moira and Walter to step closer. “If I wanted to now, I could just order both your mother and her husband to slit their own throats, right here, right now.”

Felicity tightened her grip on Oliver’s hand when she felt him take a small step forward. She was focused on Slade, but her eyes moved from him to Moira and Walter. A bead of sweat rolled down slowly from Moira’s forehead and Felicity could see the way that Walter’s eyebrows were furrowed. They clearly didn’t have any control of their own bodies and couldn’t speak, but they were still very much aware. Moira might have an idea as to what was happening, but Walter, who didn’t know much - if  _ anything _ \- about the Dark World was most likely very confused.

“Please,” Oliver said, his voice low. “Leave them out of this, Slade. I am begging you.”

“Your past mistakes are catching up with you, Mr. Queen,” Slade said. “You’re the only one to blame for this.” Felicity could see the man’s eye flicker again, shifting between yellow and red. The second he reached out and grabbed Walter by the throat, pulling him toward himself as fangs extracted themselves from his gums, she moved.

In a split second, she let go of Oliver’s hand. A scream tore from Moira as she finally moved, covering her eyes when Slade lowered his fangs to Walter’s neck. He pierced the skin just as Felicity made the jump, her clothes tearing as she shifted in mid air. She ran at Slade, canine teeth gleaming in the light of the dining room and Slade’s eye widened for just a moment before he pushed Walter away, knocking him unconscious against the wall. Felicity lost herself momentarily in her wolf form, her claws slashing over Slade’s chest as she came down on him. She had used the momentum of him losing his grip on his emotions and she figured that he hadn’t expected her to out herself like this in front of Walter, or risk losing control herself as a wolf and massacring Oliver’s family. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Moira run to Walter, and Felicity managed to get a bite into Slade’s shoulder before he pushed her off, throwing her against the wall. Slade lashed out, his hand reaching for Moira and he managed to scratch her arm, drawing blood. Oliver moved in then, kicking Slade back and away from is mother, into the table which was knocked over. Slade’s eye glowed and he turned his focus back on Oliver who reached for one of the knives on the table. The man threw a punch at Oliver and for a split second Felicity was worried that he would hit his target. Fortunately, Oliver blocked the attack and she was surprised that he somehow managed to hold the other hybrid back on his own. It could be because of all the blood sharing that they had done in the past twenty-four hours.

Slade let out a sound, something between a hiss and a growl, saliva escaping from his mouth as he took a mid-shift form. Hair had sprouted out in patches all over the visible skin on his face, but he still stood on his hind legs. Somehow, he grew taller and broader, muscles stretching and elongating, bones shifting and breaking to adjust to his new form. Felicity had seen blood wolves before, but Slade was something else entirely. He was a hybrid, she could sense and a strong one at that. Oliver had told her that he had been changed because of the mirakuru, like Roy had, but when Roy had shifted, he had never turned into a monster like  _ this. _

This time when Slade lashed out, his punch connected with Oliver’s face, sending blood spraying from Oliver’s nose. The moment Felicity sensed the heady smell of Oliver’s blood, something inside of her snapped. She jumped again and this time, she tore her sharp teeth into Slade’s forearm. His blood filled her mouth and she tore off a chunk of his flesh, making the creature howl in pain. He freed himself from her grip, panting heavily. His eye was flashing between yellow and red as a crazed look came over his face. She watched in horror as his face continued to morph, the eyepatch breaking, revealing nothing more than an empty socket. His ears flattened back against his head suddenly and Felicity saw him shift on his feet. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he looked around as if searching for something. The next thing she knew, the hybrid creature had sped toward the glass balcony, throwing himself right through the glass and into the darkness of the night. Felicity started to go after him, knowing that the fight was far from over, but she felt the pull in her chest even before he spoke.

“Felicity, don’t,” Oliver said, making her turn away from the broken window and back to him. She hurried over to him, her paws padding over the floor as she stood over him, tongue darting out to lick at his hand and then at his forehead that was bleeding. Sitting back, she realized that his wound had already healed, most likely due to her blood still being in his system. His nosebleed had stopped too, but his face was still red from the blood. It didn’t seem to be broken or anything though, which made her wonder just how quickly her blood had managed to heal him. She held his gaze and Oliver leaned forward, his forehead pressing at the side of her throat, his fingers digging into her fur. He needed her comfort at the same time that he needed to know that she was okay. A low whine fell from her and she nuzzled against him, trying to assure him that she was all right.

“What the hell just happened?” Walter’s voice finally broke the silence, making both Oliver and Felicity turn their attention to the older couple who were shifting their attention from the broken window to the two of them. Felicity could only imagine what it must look like to them; Oliver sitting on the floor with a huge white wolf at his side that was cuddling up against him.

Sniffing the air and looking at Moira and Walter, Felicity could sense that they weren’t injured. Yes, Walter was still bleeding a bit from his neck, but there wasn’t much blood flow since Slade had only just pierced his skin. There hadn’t been much damage done because Felicity had reacted quickly. However, she was certain that the man would be sore in the morning. Then there was the issue about the compulsion. If it had only been a display of power, then Felicity wasn’t sure if it had worn off on it’s own or if Slade had somehow ordered both Walter and Moira to remain docile until he bit one of them. It was something they would need to discuss, but she wouldn’t be able to do so as a wolf. Looking at Oliver again, she stood back up and he held on to her as he lifted himself up off the floor. Finally standing, Felicity made another noise and then sped up the main staircase, toward Oliver’s room. She wasn’t going to shift back to human form in front of Walter and Moira. Surely, they had seen enough of her as a wolf and she didn’t want them seeing her completely nude. Besides, she needed to check and make sure that there wasn’t someone else lurking upstairs.

When she couldn’t sense any other presence in the house besides the people downstairs, she made her way into Oliver’s room, grateful that the door had been left ajar. Once inside, she quickly turned back into a human, cringing slightly as her bones returned to their normal form and she stood, rolling her shoulders. Pulling the spare blanket off of the bed, she had just enough time to wrap herself up in it when Oliver entered the room. There was a wet towel in his hand and he wiped at his face, trying to get the blood washed away. His eyes were set on her though and she felt a familiar tightening in her gut. He didn’t close the door behind himself as he approached her with quick steps, closing the distance between them. Dropping the towel on the floor, his hands cupped her cheeks just before he kissed her urgently, catching her off guard for just a second. The second she recovered from her surprise, she responded just as enthusiastically to the kiss. He pulled back just as she started getting lost in him and he leaned his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

“I didn’t know he was still alive,” he said after a moment of silence. “It makes sense now, why the Master was targeting us like this… Why he wanted you to find me… It was Slade all along.”

“Oliver, we’ll handle this, I swear,” Felicity said, “but right now, all I can think about is the fact that we could have died down there and we didn’t.”

“I know,” Oliver said, opening his eyes to meet hers. She was still holding the blanket around herself, her torn clothes left downstairs in the dining room.

“I turned in front of Walter,” she said. “Oh God, I turned in front of your mother.”

“You protected them,” Oliver corrected. “You protected us all and you could have been killed in the process.”

“They are your family,” Felicity told him. “That makes them my family too, no matter if they accept me or not.”

“We should go back downstairs,” Oliver said, but he leaned in and pressed another kiss against her lips. “Walter is confused and so is my mom… What Slade did to them…”

“He compelled them,” Felicity confirmed, knowing that Oliver was thinking it. “We’re going to need to contact Diggle and Tommy, tell them what happened. Make sure they’re safe.”

“We will,” Oliver nodded. His hands were still shaking as they moved over her smooth skin. “Take some of my clothes and let’s go downstairs. We need to talk to my mom and Walter. I’m pretty sure the maid must have been compelled too… This is a mess,” he sighed, rubbing his temple.

Felicity kissed the corner of his mouth as she cupped his cheek with one hand. “We’ll deal with this,” she promised. “We will figure out what happened here tonight and we’ll make sure we’re never caught off guard like this ever again.”

Oliver only nodded and pulled her in for another quick embrace. Felicity allowed herself to relax against him, breathing in his scent, the tension falling from her shoulders now that she knew that he was safe.

-§-

The next hour or so was all about damage control. Felicity and Oliver gave Moira the opportunity to talk to Walter first because they knew that the truth would be better coming from her. The two of them stayed in the dining room, looking over the damage that had been done to the place during the fight. The table was knocked over, the dishes were broken on the floor. The food that had been placed on the table was covering the walls as well and the broken glass from the balcony door was still on the floor too. There was blood everywhere, drops from every injured person in the house. It was a bit overwhelming and for a moment, Felicity felt dizzy. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on her surroundings once more, but just the thought of how close she had gotten to losing Oliver tonight scared her more than anything.

Slade, the Master, was a powerful enemy. She knew that his abilities stemmed from the mirakuru that had turned him into a hybrid, but she had never in her life encountered a creature like him. He was out of control one second and the next, it was as if he was focusing on his task. The split personality thing was just as concerning as everything else about him. The Count had been crazy too, a complete maniac, although with Slade there still seemed to be some kind of sanity tethering him to the things that mattered most to him. Felicity was confused as to what it all meant, although she knew that they needed to figure out how to deal with him.

“How are you doing?” Oliver murmured, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

Felicity turned into him, her arms wrapping around his waist as she tried to get a hold of herself. Maybe she had hit her head a bit stronger than she had first suspected. Still, she should have healed fully by now. An hour had passed after all.

“Just a little dizzy,” she admitted, not wanting to lie to him. “I think it’s all the blood and the thought of everything that could have gone wrong.”

“We survived,” Oliver said, although Felicity knew that he too had been scared. She had felt it in the desperation of his kiss after he had followed her upstairs to his room.

She wanted to assure him again, to make him see and understand that she would never let anything happen to him or his family. Before she could say anything though, the maid from before walked into the room, looking confused and shaken.

“Mrs. Queen and Mr. Steele are done with their conversation,” she said, blinking a few times as if she wasn’t even sure what she was talking about anymore. Felicity looked over at Oliver, lips parting in a silent question. He nodded, looking back at the young woman who seemed to be in a daze.

“How about you sit down for a while, Ms…?”

“My name is Abigail,” the woman replied, her voice low. “I just recently started working here…” She trailed off once again and Oliver nodded.

“Abigail, please sit down and we’ll be with you shortly,” he said. Felicity felt his hand fall on the small of her back as he started leading her out of the dining room to the kitchen. “I haven’t really been around much with all the Arrow work,” Oliver admitted. “I didn’t even know that my mom had hired new people…”

“I think we should just talk to your mom and Walter, see how they are first and then we’ll get to Abigail,” Felicity said. “I hate that she was caught in the crossfire like this.”

“I agree,” Oliver muttered, just as they walked into the kitchen.

Moira and Walter were sitting on the high chairs around the kitchen island in the middle. Oliver’s mother was holding her husband’s hand, murmuring low words of comfort to him. It was a sweet sight, but Felicity knew that what they had been through must have been traumatic for both of them. As Oliver and Felicity entered the room, the older couple looked up at them. Felicity watched their faces for any sign of discomfort or fear, but strangely enough, they seemed to be all right. She knew that Moira had probably never seen a wolf transform and Felicity hadn’t waited for permission when she had attacked Slade. Walter must have been scared too, seeing her change like that.

“Are you guys okay?” Oliver asked and Felicity was grateful that he was the one to start the conversation.

“We will be,” Moira nodded, a sad look crossing her face. “I’ve explained what happened tonight to Walter… He knows about the Dark One’s now.”

Felicity looked at the man again, wondering if he hated her now that he knew the truth about her. He had been the first one to accept her when she had started working at Queen Consolidated and she had always been grateful for his support. Whatever he thought about her now, she would forever be in his debt for everything that he had done for her. Being accepted, becoming a part of something bigger… It meant something to Felicity.

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” Oliver said, and there was real regret in his heart. Felicity could sense it, even as it mixed with her own feelings about the situation that had occurred tonight.

“I suppose it’s better now than never,” Walter said, clearing his throat. “I am still a bit confused about the details, but I am guessing that I’ll understand more with time.”

“Trust me, it can get quite messy, the more you learn,” Felicity said. She caught herself quickly, sending him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry for what happened here tonight, Mr. Steele. You should have never gotten involved in this. I was the one who started this whole mess-”

“Ms. Smoak-  _ Felicity _ ,” Walter sighed, addressing her by her first name. She couldn’t remember if he had ever done that before. “Mr. Wilson approached me weeks ago, wanting to partner with Queen Consolidated. I was the one who invited him into our home tonight, not you.  _ You _ saved my life.”

Felicity didn’t know what to say to that, but she felt some of the tension in her shoulders fall away. “I’m still sorry,” she said, not being able to help herself.

Walter, to her surprise, chuckled. “I always knew you were extraordinary,” he mused, standing up from his seat. “Although, I can’t say that I would have ever expected you to be able to do what you did tonight.”

“Yeah, I guess that must have come as a surprise,” Felicity said, running her fingers through her hair. She felt a bit self conscious, standing there in one of Oliver’s shirts again and a pair of sweats that she had grabbed from Thea’s closet.

“I can’t say I’m sorry for it though, since you saved my life,” Walter said again and she had a feeling that he wasn’t going to let that go. She cared about Walter, so for her, it hadn’t been a choice. He seemed to believe that she hadn’t needed to step in, but she knew better. He was Oliver’s family and an innocent in all of this. She would protect him too, just like she would protect everyone else that she cared about.

“Oliver,” Moira said after a moment. “Could you maybe help Walter up the stairs? He’s still not feeling well from the hit he took.”

Oliver looked at Felicity and she knew that he could sense that he was being dismissed in a way. “Yes, of course,” he said. “It’ll give us a chance to talk… I’ll need to check on Abigail as well.”

“The poor girl,” Walter said. “She just started working for us and then to have something like this happen to her.”

Oliver glanced toward Felicity again before walking out of the kitchen with Walter. Felicity nodded curtly, assuring him that she would be fine. Once they were out, she turned back to face Moira. Inhaling through her nose, she sensed the smell of blood. Her eyes zeroed in on Moira’s arm, noting that there was blood seeping through the material of her shirt, probably from where Slade had scratched her.

“I can give you some of my blood, to heal,” Felicity said, unsure if she was doing the right thing by offering. “If you want, I can heal Walter too.”

The corner of Moira’s mouth lifted, but the older woman shook her head. “Thank you, but I don’t think it will be necessary,” she said. “It’s just a small cut. I’ll clean it before I go to bed and use the emergency medical kit to patch it up.”

“Do you need help with it? I can help,” Felicity offered, but Moira shook her head.

“You have done enough tonight,” she said, holding her hand up.

Dread filled Felicity instantly. She knew that her relationship with Oliver’s mother had always been strained. After the Undertaking and jail, Moira had been more welcoming of her. It didn’t change the fact that Felicity still felt like she somehow needed to prove herself to her and make a good impression. Now that she and Oliver were together for real, she didn’t want Moira to hate her.

“I’m sorry,” Felicity blurted, hating the fact that her turning had clearly scared Moira. Oliver’s mother had known all along that Felicity was a supernatural being, but to actually see Felicity turn and attack someone else like an animal must have been frightening.

Moira frowned at her apology and Felicity paused, meeting the woman’s eyes once more. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Felicity,” Moira told her. “It’s like my husband just said: You saved his life. You saved us all.”

Felicity lowered her head, staring at her hands. She had washed away all the blood before heading downstairs with Oliver again, but her hands still felt as if the substance had dried on them. “The fight against Slade is far from over,” she said. “There’s still so much going on… I don’t know how much you know, but he seems to have a personal vendetta against Oliver and he’ll be targeting everyone he cares about.”

“By everything that happened tonight, I am guessing that Mr. Wilson has a past with my son, but I don’t understand-”

“That’s Oliver’s story to tell, not mine,” Felicity interrupted. “I just need you to know that I won’t let Slade hurt Oliver. I will protect him with my life.”

“I know,” Moira responded, giving her a look. “Even though I couldn’t move of my own free will tonight, I saw how you stood between my son and that monster tonight. Your feelings for him run deep… I might even say that you love him.” Felicity didn’t say anything, but that alone seemed to be enough of an answer to Moira. The older woman smiled at her and Felicity had a feeling that it was genuine. “I’m glad that you’ve worked out your differences,” she said. “Even though I was separated from Oliver for five years, I know that he’s still the same young boy he once was, deep down.”

“He’s better,” Felicity said, thinking of all the stories she had heard about Oliver’s past. He had told her so much since he told her about Shado. Earlier today, when they had been hiding away in her place, they had exchanged stories and opened up about their pasts. She knew that Oliver wasn’t proud of the person he had been before, but she knew without a doubt that she loved the man that he had become.

“He is,” Moira agreed. “He’s a better man… His love for you and your equal love for him has probably helped him accept that.”

Once again, Felicity couldn’t find any words. What was she supposed to say? It was clear that Moira knew that her and Oliver’s relationship had changed and since she didn’t seem to be opposing it, no more words were needed on the matter.

“Slade will be back,” Felicity said instead. “He won’t stop until he wins.”

“Is there anything I can do? Resources to help locate him? Anything?” Moira offered.

“You and Walter can tell me and Oliver everything that you know, for starters,” Felicity said. “It can wait until tomorrow morning because I hardly think he will be back tonight, but we’re going to need everything from the first time he made contact with you. It can help us figure out what angle he’s playing at with Queen Consolidated.”

Moira nodded, still looking deep in thought. She pursed her lips then and shot Felicity a look. “What else? There’s something you’re not saying,” she realized.

Felicity breathed out slowly, nervous about her next request. She hadn’t talked it over with Oliver yet, but she hoped that she was making the right call. The moment she had him alone again, she was going to explain her decision to him and she only prayed that he would be on her side.

“I want you to leave Starling City,” she finally said. “I want you and Walter to go, because the next time that Slade attacks, we might not be as lucky as we were tonight. The less people that he can use as leverage against us, the better.”

Moira contemplated it, her eyebrows furrowing. Felicity allowed her a moment to think about it, but finally, the other woman nodded.

“You’re right,” she said. “I’ll talk to Walter tonight, make plans to get away for a while until this whole business is settled… Will you keep me informed about what’s happening?”

“I will,” Felicity promised. “This is the safest option for you and Walter, Moira. I will talk to Oliver too, make him understand-”

“You don’t have to,” Oliver spoke up, stepping into the kitchen. Felicity bit her lip, turning to face him, prepared for his anger. She didn’t see any though, so she relaxed when he placed his hand on her shoulder. “I agree with Felicity, mom,” he said. “This is the best idea we have to keep you safe.”

“Then it’s settled,” Moira said, walking toward the exit. “If you’ll excuse me, I still have some things to talk over with Walter and I have a feeling that the two of you will need a moment alone.” With a last smile, she walked out of the kitchen and left Felicity alone with Oliver. The second they were by themselves, Oliver wrapped his arm around Felicity's shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She opened her mouth to apologize, but he pressed a kiss against her forehead, shaking his head.

“Don’t even think about it,” he told her. She understood why he felt the need to hold her because she was still shaken about everything that had just happened as well. “I texted Diggle and Tommy, made sure they knew about Slade being out there, but I don’t think they’re in danger of an attack tonight. You got Slade pretty bad with that last bite of yours.”

“He’ll heal and he’ll be back,” Felicity said.

“I know,” Oliver sighed. “It’s just, my mind feels like it’s all over the place. I still can’t believe that he’s alive and that he’s been behind this the whole time.”

“Some things still aren’t adding up,” Felicity told him. “Why would he out himself like this, tonight of all nights? Does that mean that his plans are about to be put in action? What’s his endgame?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Oliver said, similarly to what she had told him when they had been upstairs together. “Tomorrow, we’ll have a meeting with the rest of the team and we’ll set up a plan.”

Felicity pressed her lips against his shoulder, embracing him tightly. “I think I know what we need to do,” she said after a moment.

“What?” Oliver asked, his hands stroking the back of her head gently.

“After we talk to your mom and Walter, get them safely out of town and meet with Tommy and Diggle, we need to contact Lyla,” Felicity said, looking up at him.

“For what?” Oliver frowned, but she knew that he could already sense what she was going to say. His eyes widened as she tried to project her thoughts and emotions as loudly as possible into his mind. She knew that he wouldn’t hear them exactly, but he could pick up on some of the things that she was thinking of. “You want to visit Roy,” he acknowledged and Felicity nodded.

“With Slade revealing himself, I need my beta by my side, Oliver,” she said. “This fight is closer than we think and by the time that it breaks out, I need to know that Roy will be able to stand with me, even with the mirakuru in his system.” She blinked back tears, knowing that there were many risks involved with every possible route they could choose. This one, meeting up with Roy and Thea, would be the safest one for them too. She had to know that Roy was still himself; she couldn’t have him turn into a monster like Slade.

Oliver’s fingers brushed over her cheek gently. “You and me,” he told her and he didn’t have to say anything else, because she could feel it. He was on her side with this too. They were together and he wasn’t going to abandon her for anything. Whatever Slade or anyone else threw at them, they would face it together. Whatever darkness they fell into, they would always find their way back to the light, as long as they stood by one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh... So, some of you saw this coming, but let me just say, there are so many hints in this chapter for other things, that I wonder if you actually picked up on it, he he he... Also, as you can see, we'll be visiting Roy and Thea in the next one! Yay! I haven't started writing it yet, but I'll work on it a bit now during the weekend. Sorry for any spelling mistakes in this chapter, I just wanted to get it out to you guys since I promised I'd post it.
> 
> Also, I've been thinking about doing a live-feed Q&A on my Twitter in relation to this story... What do you think about that? Then you could scream at me live while I get to actually discuss some of the things that have happened here along with what's in store for the final couple of chapters. I would like that, but what do you think? :) 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story. I love each and every one of you for commenting. I'll be going back to reply to all your comments on the previous chapter as soon as I post this one, because I haven't had time to do so yet.
> 
> Much love! Until next time... xx


	30. The Song of The Open Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,  
> Healthy, free, the world before me,  
> The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. " - Walt Whitman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Okay, so I did not plan to post this until the weekend, but honestly, I couldn't wait since I finally managed to find some time to finish this chapter. As some of you may have heard on my Twitter/Tumblr, this story only has a few chapters left to go. Since there's still so much to cover and loose ends make me itch, the chapters will take some time to write. I want to make sure that I am covering every little clue that I've left along the way. Also, there's the whole thing about me currently writing my thesis. The deadline is in 23 May, so until then, I'll be so very busy with school. I'm sorry for that, but it's my future we're talking about. Just don't think that I've gone and abandoned this fic (or any other fic for that matter!).
> 
> Anyway, sorry that this note was so long. I'll be mentioning the Q&A in the end of this chapter, so if you want some details, check that note out. For now, please enjoy this slightly slowed down chapter and I'm warning you, there are some emotions in here of varying kind. xx
> 
> P.S. Just to clarify: The long italic parts are flashbacks, but I'm sure you guys would have caught on to that! ;)   
> P.P.S. The title is from Walt Whitman's poem of the same name. You can look up the meaning of it if you want. :)

**Hunted**

**Chapter 30: The Song of The Open Road**

 

Dawn was breaking, the sunlight making its way through the cloudy sky as they drove down the highway. They had set out early, while the majority of the people in Starling City still slept safely in their beds and only the foolish ones still roamed the streets.

Felicity looked at the information that Lyla had given her the day before. She typed the coordinates into the GPS and waited until their destination appeared on the device. It was a remote location, that was for sure. It would take hours to drive there, but Felicity wasn’t thinking much about that. No, her mind was filled with worry over what might happen to their city while she and Oliver were away. Diggle had stayed behind and Lyla had offered her division’s help to keep the Dark Ones in check. Tommy would be helping too in his own way. Whenever Diggle would go out dressed as the Arrow, Tommy would monitor from the Foundry. The times that he wouldn’t be able to be there, Lyla would do the best she could under the circumstances. Felicity hadn’t had much time to teach the woman how to work her computers, but she knew that Lyla had the basic knowledge needed to do so. If not, Tommy would most likely be able to help.

It was a funny thought, that Felicity had been opposed to people touching her equipment in the Foundry in the beginning of her partnership with Oliver and Diggle, only to now have her being so open to people learning how it worked. The circumstances had changed since then, new facts had been learned and the variables were different. Neither of them could afford being locked to a single task; in order to succeed, they needed to help one another as much as possible.

Felicity sighed, leaning back into the seat. Her fingers tapped against her thigh for a moment as she tried to keep her mind from drifting again to everything that could possibly go wrong. Moira and Walter had left Starling City the day after Slade had come to their house. Felicity and Oliver had listened to them as they retold the story of how they had met Slade and how he had managed to get that close to them without Oliver sensing that anything was wrong. The man’s ability to compel his victims sure must have helped, Felicity figured, but a major part in it laid in Moira and Walter not knowing anything of Oliver’s past with Slade and their team being too preoccupied with their own mission to actually see what was happening. They had been caught off guard with Slade’s revelation of being alive, although they would be damned if they let him win this fight. Slade was unstable, in more ways than one and they had discussed the whole ordeal with Tommy and Diggle when they had met up with them in the Foundry after getting Moira and Walter to the Queen’s private jet safely.

“You should rest for a while,” Oliver said, but Felicity shook her head.

“I’ll get some rest when we get to Roy and Thea,” she said, trying not to think about how her beta would react to seeing her. It had only been about a month since Roy and Thea had left them. Felicity knew that adjusting to being a hybrid could take time, especially when it came to handling the blood lust at first. From Thea’s updates, she knew that Roy was doing better, although Felicity still feared his reaction considering the way that they had departed from one another. A part of her still worried that Slade had somehow adjusted the mirakuru in order to specifically target her through Roy, to hurt Oliver.

“Hey,” Oliver murmured softly, his hand coming to rest over hers to stop it from tapping on her thigh. “Everything will be fine. Diggle, Tommy and Lyla can handle things in Starling City and we’ll hopefully be back in just a few days. My mom and Walter are somewhere in Europe by now, far away from Slade and safe. We’ll check on Roy and Thea, inform them of everything that’s been going on in person and then we’ll see where we go from there.”

Felicity looked over at him, not being able to hide her small smile. “Since when are you the rational one in this relationship?” she asked, with a slightly teasing tone to her words.

“Since when have I  _ not  _ been rational?” Oliver scoffed, but Felicity felt more at ease instantly, knowing that at least one of them wasn’t too nervous about what might happen in the future to focus on the present.

“Go on,” Oliver said again. “Get some sleep and I’ll wake you up when we take a break.”

“And switch,” Felicity sternly said. “I won’t have you driving all the way to the safehouse out of sheer stubbornness. I’m a great driver.”

“Hm…” Oliver hummed and she could just sense what he was thinking, so she smacked him lightly on the arm.

“I didn’t crash my car on purpose, you jackass,” she said, laughter falling from her lips. “Someone tried to drive me off the road.” It was strange to laugh about it now, especially considering everything that her accident had led to. The Count kidnapping her, force-feeding her blood and then ultimately making her lose control, all so that he could prove some point that she wasn’t better than the rest of the Dark Ones. It hadn’t even been a full week since she had slashed the madman’s throat open with her claws, but she knew that she needed to move past it in order to stop Slade. She had never killed a man before that night and it had led to her breaking down and hiding away in her wolf form. Everything that had happened between her and Oliver afterward, between talking about what had happened and confessing their love for one another… It had made it a bit easier for Felicity to accept what she had done. The guilt over the innocent lives that had been lost that day during the bombings wasn’t gone, but Felicity knew deep down that she would have to learn how to live with it. With her mate’s help, it wouldn’t be impossible to do so.

The thought brought a small smile to her lips again and she glanced over at Oliver. She knew that there were still many hardships to face, especially with Slade and his army of hybrids looming over them as a threat. Still, Felicity couldn’t help but be grateful for actually having met him and connected with him on such a level. Never, since she had found out that she was a werewolf, would she have expected to find her mate. Their souls were tethered to one another and deep down, she knew that there was no question about them having been made for each other. She had been reluctant to voice that thought in those terms, but she knew that she and Oliver had also chosen one another, which was the most important part. They might essentially be soulmates, although in the end, it was their final choice that had set it in stone. They were bonded because they had accepted it. Confessing their love for one another had been their tipping point in more ways than one and their acceptance of what they knew existed between them had essentially been the final stepping stone in making their soul bond real.

“Sleep, Felicity,” Oliver told her. “You’re thinking too loudly,” he added, teasing her just like she had that morning after they had first made love.

Felicity leaned over and lightly pressed her lips against his stubbly cheek. Oliver hummed in contentment, turning his cheek to chase after her lips when she pulled back.

“Just an hour or two,” she said and he chuckled, shaking his head at her.

“Until we make a stop,” he countered and Felicity rolled her eyes but decided not to argue. She would probably wake up in an hour either way.

“We’ll see,” she mused, lifting his hand from her thigh to her lips. She kissed the back of it softly, smiling against his skin. “I love you.”

Oliver smiled, his eyes still on the road in front of him but she could feel the emotions he was radiating through their bond. “I love you too,” he said, sounding as if saying the words made him relax. Felicity closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat again, understanding the feeling. It was the same for her.

-§-

_ Oliver and Felicity made their way into the Foundry, descending the stairs. Diggle and Tommy were already there, waiting for them. Felicity was nervous, Oliver could sense it, but he knew that she didn’t have anything to worry about. Neither Diggle nor Tommy blamed her for what had happened with the Count. Diggle had come to her apartment and tried to comfort her that night, but Felicity hadn’t been as receptive then as she was now. _

_ As they finally came face to face with their friends, Oliver felt Felicity tighten her grip on his hand and he looked at her, giving her an encouraging smile. He looked back at Tommy and Diggle and the two men stepped forward. Tommy, who hadn’t seen Felicity in a long time made the first move to embrace her. His arms wound around the blonde in a comforting hug and Oliver felt Felicity’s hand slip from his as she returned the gesture. Wanting to give them a moment, Oliver walking up to Diggle. _

_ “How are you?” Diggle asked, embracing Oliver shortly before pulling back. Oliver and Felicity had texted him and Tommy about Slade, but they hadn’t gone into much detail. _

_ “I’ve had better days,” Oliver admitted, looking back at Felicity who nodded at something that Tommy had said to her. “We’ll make it through this too, but I’m still a bit shaken,” he said. _

_ Diggle nodded in understanding. “Felicity?” he wondered. _

_ “Better, but she was just as surprised by Slade’s attack as I was,” Oliver said. “She protected us. My mom, Walter and me. She turned in front of them and we fought Slade off, but she did most of the work.” _

_ “Your mom and Walter?” _

_ “On a plane to a secret location that even I don’t know about,” Oliver revealed. “I didn’t want to know, in case something happened and someone tried to get the information out of me. I can’t let them use my family against me.” _

_ “Makes sense,” Diggle agreed. “The less people Slade can use against us, the better.” _

_ “That was exactly what Felicity said when she suggested the plan,” Oliver said. He chuckled then, shaking his head. “Well, she didn’t exactly  _ suggest  _ it as much as she told my mom that she and Walter needed to leave town. Either way, it was a good plan and I agreed with her.” _

_ Diggle rubbed at his chin, contemplating his words for a moment. He looked at Oliver as if he wanted to ask something else, but Felicity and Tommy joined them, so he was momentarily distracted by hugging Felicity. Diggle pressed a light kiss to Felicity’s temple, his arm staying around Felicity’s shoulder as they all stood together. _

_ Oliver looked at Felicity and despite the worry of what was to come, he couldn’t help but smile back lightly at her when he saw her lips turn upwards. He felt eyes on himself and a moment later, Tommy cleared his throat. _

_ “Are we going to acknowledge the obvious or just pretend that we didn’t see the two of you walk down those stairs holding hands?” Tommy wondered, sending Oliver a pointed look. _

_ Diggle chuckled at the comment and Felicity’s cheeks turned a shade darker. _

_ “We’re…” Oliver started, but he trailed off, looking at Felicity. _

_ She smiled at him and turned to Tommy. “We’re together,” she finished, her eyes brightening a little at her statement. _

_ For a moment, Tommy and Diggle didn’t say anything, but then Tommy finally let out a chuckle of his own. “Congratulations for finally getting your heads out of your asses,” he said and Oliver couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Getting I-told-you-so’s was probably inevitable in his and Felicity’s case. After all, their friends had known that there was something going on between them since the very first time they had seen them interact with one another. _

_ “Very funny, Thomas Merlyn,” Felicity said, punching him lightly in the arm. “No one likes a know-it-all.” _

_ “Are you sure that you should be saying that considering that we were close to start an actual betting pool on how long it would take you guys to realize your feelings?” Tommy continued to tease, effectively lightening the mood. They had important things to discuss, but for a moment, it was nice to have a laugh. _

_ “I’m happy for you guys,” Diggle interjected, nodding at Oliver. It was important for Oliver to get Diggle’s approval because he knew how angry and disappointed the man had been with him after Russia. Over time, as Felicity had moved on from the events and Oliver had done his best to prove to everyone where he stood with his feelings, Diggle had forgiven him too for the betrayal. It still felt good to see that his other partner supported him and Felicity in their decision to make things official. _

_ “Of course  _ you’re  _ happy,” Tommy said. “You have been around them the longest. I imagine that once all of this is done and we defeat Slade, you’ll probably have to buy yourself a cake to celebrate that you made it through all of that eye-fucking-” _

_ “Okay,” Felicity interrupted, standing a bit straighter. Oliver didn’t really know if he should feel amused by what Tommy was saying, although Felicity’s reaction to it certainly brought another smile to his lips. “What do you guys say about us actually sharing the information we got from Moira and Walter?” she suggested. _

_ Tommy grinned one final time, but then fell serious again, nodding in agreement that it was probably for the best to get started. They were in for a long day. _

-§-

“That is the  _ last  _ time we stop at some random gas station in the middle of nowhere for a bathroom break,” Felicity said, her nose scrunched up as she walked toward the car.

Oliver looked at her and raised an eyebrow, taking a bite from the sandwich that he had taken out of their travel pack. “Why?” he asked. “It wasn’t clean enough for you?”

“The place was clean alright,” Felicity muttered, shooting a glare toward the small shop behind her. “It was the man working there that was a sleaze.”

Oliver paused as he turned his attention toward the shop too. He could see someone move away the curtain to look outside at them. Swallowing the bite he had in his mouth, Oliver looked at Felicity who was wearing a pair of tightly fitted jeans, one of his t-shirts and a leather jacket. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and her lips were painted in her usual pink lipstick. She looked amazing and Oliver didn’t particularly like the fact that some asshole had made her uncomfortable. On the other hand, Oliver knew that Felicity was more than capable enough to handle it if something actually did happen.

Yet, the emotion that welled up inside of him was something that he couldn’t shut down. Clearing his throat, he looked down at Felicity who was bending down to retrieve her phone, giving the station-worker a perfect view of her ass. Oliver moved instinctively, wrapping up his sandwich again before placing it on the roof of the car. He stepped up behind Felicity and placed his hands on her hips, squeezing lightly to get her attention. Felicity stopped looking for her phone and glanced at him from over her shoulder, frowning for just a moment. Oliver gave her a pointed look and she moved backwards just a little, her ass brushing against his crotch. A guttural noise escaped him and Felicity smirked before standing up, turning so that she could face him fully.

“What game are you playing at, Oliver?” she asked, her eyebrow quirked.

“No game,” Oliver responded. “Just making sure that everyone around here knows who your mate is.”

Felicity’s eyes flashed momentarily, but she still smiled. “I think there’s only that one guy working in this place and he probably doesn’t know about wolves and their mates,” Felicity pointed out.

Lowering his head slowly so that his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers, his hands found their way into her back pockets. He pulled her closer to himself and Felicity moved with him, tilting her head a little as she bit her lip. Glancing up at him from under her lashes, Oliver saw her eyes turn golden once more and he couldn’t help but grin as he closed the distance between them, claiming her lips.

He kissed her slowly, languidly and thoroughly, leaving no room for any witnesses to question that they were anything other than together. His tongue traced the seam of her lower lip and Felicity complied, opening her mouth to his before she grabbed his shirt and pulled him even closer. Oliver squeezed her ass lightly and Felicity let out a low growl against his lips that made him chuckle.

“We’re putting on a show for the creep,” she reminded him, pecking him on the lips two more times before pulling back and meeting his eyes again. She was still holding him close though, which told Oliver that she didn’t really mind what they had just done.

“I want him to know that you’re mine,” Oliver said, the words slipping from his mouth before he could stop them. He expected Felicity to be a bit annoyed, not because his statement wasn’t true, but rather because she wanted to keep such comments between the two of them. Oliver knew that their love was strong and that it didn’t need to be displayed in public to make it any more true. This exchange had been more about staking a claim, even though the man in the shop was far from someone who wanted to challenge him.

Felicity surprised him though when her eyes flashed once more, her grin revealing perfect and sharp fangs. The veins around her eyes blackened for only a moment before her face shifted back to human form. “I wonder if some of my possessive wolf traits have somehow transferred to you now that we’re bonded,” she mused, her hand resting over his heart. “Perhaps you should save the macho-mate act until there’s actually someone challenging your claim to me?” she suggested.

“Do you think someone would?” Oliver asked, finally taking a step back from her. He needed some distance from her body before he ended up putting on a  _ real  _ show for the creep behind the curtains.

“I think that if they did, they would be fools,” Felicity said. “I  _ am _ yours, Oliver, just as much as you are mine. If anyone were to challenge that, I’d most likely put them in their place before they cold even blink.”

“Is that the possessive wolf traits speaking?” Oliver inquired, genuinely curious.

“If it was up to the wolf inside of me, I’d probably just kill the person who tried to take you away from me,” Felicity told him. “Wolves are defensive of their mates and when they have chosen one, there’s no going back.”

Oliver nodded slowly to himself. His lips turned up again in a smirk. “Does that mean that I really am yours forever?”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Felicity challenged, but he knew that she could already sense his answer. After all, they had already talked this over once before, but Oliver enjoyed the teasing and light tone of the conversation.

Despite all the dangers back in Starling City and the threat of Slade, bust being around her now that they were officially together made him feel a lot lighter and hopeful than he ever had. Not being able to help himself, Oliver pulled Felicity in for another gentle kiss. When they parted, he smiled at her, his own eyes twinkling in amusement.

“No problem at all, Felicity.”

-§-

_ They went over everything that Moira and Walter had told them. From the moment that Slade had approached Walter, to the second that Walter had been compelled into inviting the hybrid to dinner. _

_ “Slade is smart,” Felicity stated, looking at the three men. “Every single time that he slipped up, he probably compelled it right out of Walter. He made sure that neither Moira nor Walter revealed anything about them still having contact with a potential business partner for queen Consolidated, even though they both left the company in Oliver’s care.” _

_ “You’re saying that Slade compelled both Moira and Walter to conveniently forget about him every time he came to mind when they were around Oliver and the rest of us?” Diggle questioned. Felicity nodded, confirming that it was the most likely scenario based off of what Oliver’s mother and his stepfather had told them. _

_ “My mother and Walter remembered the compulsion after Slade left,” Oliver informed Tommy and Diggle. “He must have made one of the conditions that they not reveal anything about him until he decided to make an appearance. When he finally showed us that he was still alive, the compulsion lifted and they remembered everything he had said to them.” _

_ Tommy leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped in front of him. “Which was what exactly?” he wondered. _

_ “Nothing,” Felicity sighed. “He didn’t tell them any details about his plans, only that it involved destroying Oliver and everyone he had ever cared about.” She glanced at Oliver who had lowered his gaze, probably thinking about the words that Moira had repeated back to them earlier this morning. Slade had been careful not to reveal too much and even if he had done so at some point, Felicity was certain that he would have filtered some of it away by compelling the older couple. She told Diggle and Tommy as much, proceeding to share that she thought that he was also the one who had set her on the path to find Oliver. She had been ordered to look for Oliver, although she wasn’t sure what it was that Slade could have wanted to get out of that. _

_ “It could have been an attempt of his to be one step ahead of us,” Diggle said after a while. “He might not have known what the outcome of your partnership with Oliver might be, but he would at least have known that you were working with him. If we would have ever wanted to use you to lure him out, he would have known to avoid the situation, even though you wouldn’t have remembered him compelling you.” _

_ “That actually makes a lot of sense,” Tommy pointed out, looking impressed at Diggle’s skill of deduction. Felicity had to agree that it could definitely be one of the reasons that Slade wanted her to eventually find her way to Oliver. _

_ “I keep thinking about what happened a few days ago,” she said after a moment. “With the Count.” _

_ The others stopped talking among themselves and Felicity felt a warm hand grasp hers. Looking up, she met Diggle’s reassuring eyes. _

_ “What that monster did to you isn’t your fault,” Diggle told her, gently squeezing her hand. _

_ “I… I know that,” Felicity swallowed thickly, not wanting to think about the details of what had happened. “It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about what the Count wanted. He told us that the Master- That  _ Slade  _ hadn’t wanted him to go after Oliver that night when he had taken the shape of Cyrus Gold. When we were at Queen Consolidated, the Count kept going on and on about how he was doing everything to prove that I was just like the rest of them.” _

_ “You’re right,” Oliver agreed. “That night Count Vertigo kept talking about how you weren’t better than any of the other Dark Ones. That when you were pushed enough…” He trailed off and Felicity saw the way that he flinched at his own thought. She could feel how difficult it was for him because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. It was clear that whatever the Count had said that night, Oliver didn’t believe it. She had him on her side no matter what and she loved him for that and his loyalty. _

Loyalty.

_ “The Count was disobeying orders, though,” she said thoughtfully, frowning as she remembered the words that the madman had splurted out when he had been going on and on about the point he wanted to prove. “He talked about taking the two of us to Slade because he wanted his Master to forgive him for what he had done when he poisoned and almost killed Oliver,” she said. “That means that the Count acted of his own volition that night.” _

_ “When we asked him if the Master had sent him, he never replied,” Oliver seemed to realize. “Not really, at least. He kept going on about everything else, his plan and all that.” _

_ “He was loyal to the Master and wanted to prove himself in Slade’s eyes,” Felicity nodded slowly. “The Count thought he was doing Slade a service by bringing us to him.” _

_ “But he questioned whether or not he’d want you there alive,” Oliver said, voice thick and Felicity felt his pain as he must have imagined what could have happened. She tried to give him a sympathetic look because she knew that things could have had another turn out very easily. _

_ They looked at each other for a moment and she could feel all of his emotions radiating toward her. She wanted to reach out and assure him that she was safe and once again tell him that it was because of him that she would be able to make it through all of it. _

_ Tommy whistled softly, “Wow, guys. It’s good to see that you two getting together clearly hasn’t done anything to ease the sexual tension.” Oliver shot him a look and Tommy held up his hands in defense. “Okay, okay,” he said. “So, we understand why Slade would have a vendetta toward Oliver, but why would the Count want to bring him Felicity too? If Count Vertigo’s plan that night was to prove a point to Felicity, does that mean that she is one of Slade’s targets as well?” _

_ “Maybe it’s because I never developed a sire bond with him,” Felicity said, getting back on track again. “I remembered bits and pieces of what happened to me while I was under the effects of  Nyssa’s serum. They were experimenting with mixtures and I know now it must have been some kind of mirakuru.” _

_ “If it was mirakuru, why didn’t you go all crazy, like Slade?” Diggle asked. _

_ Felicity couldn’t know for sure until she heard it from the mouth of the people who had injected her with the substance. She had her suspicions, one of them being that the mirakuru she had been injected with wasn’t strong enough to make her lose control. Then, there was Roy, who had had Thea there to ground him and make sure that he didn’t completely snap. Felicity was certain that if Thea hadn’t been there in the Foundry that night when they had gotten Roy back, things would have turned out differently for the young man. _

_ “A failed experiment…” Oliver murmured after a moment, making them all look at him. He met Felicity’s hard gaze, probably because he felt the twinge in her heart at his words. She had described herself as that after she had remembered some of the memories that Slade had compelled away. “I destroyed the mirakuru that was left on Lian Yu after I thought I killed Slade,” Oliver stated. “I burned all of the documents that had been left behind, everything that could be used to recreate the substance. Slade survived and he wants revenge for what I did, so he wants an army.” _

_ “But he can’t create an army without the mirakuru,” Tommy said. _

_ “And that’s why he had people experiment to figure out the components,” Diggle finished the thought. “It’s exactly what we did when Roy was injected. We sent a sample of his blood to Barry and another to Lyla because we needed to know what he had been injected with.” _

_ Felicity nodded slowly, but her head was starting to ache a little. It was so much to take in in such a short amount of time. Finding out that Slade was alive, revealing herself and the Dark World to Walter and fighting against the monster that had made her into a hybrid had exhausted her. She had only slept a little during the night because her head had been swimming with thoughts as to what would happen next. Oliver had talked to her this morning and they had already figured out their next move now that Moira and Walter were safely out of town. _

_ “If Slade’s mirakuru wasn’t perfected yet when they injected me, that could be the reason that I never developed a sire bond,” Felicity said. “It could also be why my powers as a hybrid are different from what Roy experienced the night he was turned. He was oozing power and strength constantly, whereas I can enhance my strength at will depending on whether I drink blood or not.” _

_ “Does that mean that Roy has been sired?” Oliver frowned. _

_ “It could,” Felicity replied, “but I don’t think so. You saw how he was with Thea that night. If he was truly one hundred percent sire bonded to Slade, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything but his bidding. Thea anchored him and I’m sure that’s the reason that he stopped attacking us and realized what he was doing.” _

_ “So what do we do now then?” Tommy asked. “Slade came after you, Oliver. You’re mother and Walter are safe, Thea is out of town in a secure location. We have no idea when Slade might show up again. He knows that you’re the Arrow, he revealed it to the Count too… There’s no telling how long he has been watching us and how much he actually knows.” _

_ “What else  _ should  _ we do?” Oliver frowned. “We have to lay low, for a while at least, but we need to be prepared for anything too.” _

_ “Lay low?” Tommy frowned at his friend. “Fuck, man. I think you should leave town for a while too. I mean, Diggle can leave for A.R.G.U.S. and see if they’ve made any process. He could even spend some time with his lady love-” _

_ “Lyla isn’t my-” Diggle started, but stopped abruptly when Tommy snorted loudly. _

_ “I never mentioned a name, Dig,” he pointed out smugly before he kept talking. “I can keep myself away from the Foundry and all of this Arrow business for a while too. Maybe I could convince Laurel to come away with me for the weekend and elope or something.  _ You  _ though, you need to get Slade’s eyes off of you until we’re ready to make a move.” _

_ “First of all,” Felicity looked at him sternly, “stop teasing Diggle over the fact that he’s  _ clearly  _ back together with his ex-wife. Secondly, don’t you dare elope with Laurel. After all of this with Slade is over, I need something to look forward to when we finally beat the bad guy. Also, thirdly, Oliver and I were sort of planning on getting out of town for a few days at least.” _

_ When she finished her ramble, Tommy blinked a few times and then nodded slowly. “Good thing that we’re on the same page then,” he said, clearly deciding to ignore her previous two points. “Do tell though, are you and Oliver by any chance eloping or is this really just a get-out-of-town-because-the-bad-guy-is-on-out-tail-thing?” he wondered. _

_ “Was that a quip on my tail?” Felicity glared, but she was suppressing the urge to laugh. Honestly, leave it to Tommy to make her laugh in a shitty situation like this one. _

_ “Guys, focus,” Oliver sighed, rolling his eyes. “Felicity and I will leave town and visit Roy and Thea. We’ll see how Roy is doing and try to clear our heads in order to figure out what we should do next,” he said. “Tommy, your plan is good and I think we should follow that for now. The city might need the Arrow, but we have to lay low…” _

_ “I can dress up for a night or two,” Diggle said. “Depending on how long you and Felicity will be gone, that is. If I’m to work with Lyla on that blood thing, I might as well just invite her here to the Foundry since she already knows about all of this.” _

_ “Or you could visit her during the day and have her fly you back with a helicopter at night,” Felicity said. “I’m sure it would count as a date or something, flying over Starling City, trying not to think about the murderous, revenge-lusting, psycho hybrid who wants us all dead.” The others looked at her again, this time remaining silent. She shot them an apologetic look. “Okay,” she finally breathed out. “Sounds like we have a plan.” _

-§-

Oliver tried leaning back and relaxing, but his eyes somehow always found their way back to Felicity. She had taken over after their short stop to fill up their tank with gas. Oliver hadn’t even tried to object when she sent him a challenging look. No matter how much he teased her, he would never actually look down on her driving skills. Still, the reason that he was looking at her now was because he was trying to figure out when he got so lucky. Everything that had happened this past week was a blur. The bombings of Starling City, Felicity killing the Count, the two of them finally getting together and then Slade showing up alive after so many years, revealing himself as the Master… In the haze of turmoil and horrors, Oliver had still somehow managed to find a couple of moments of happiness. He was questioning whether he actually deserved it.

There were a lot of things in relation to Felicity and Slade on his mind. His team had discussed things before they had come up with their plan, but there were still many things that were fuzzy on that particular part. They knew that Slade had compelled Felicity to forget him and she still couldn’t remember all the details of her time in captivity. Slade had also told his minions to let Felicity go, because he knew that she would eventually find her way to Oliver because of her need to stop the Master and her quest for justice. There was no way that Slade could have known somehow that Oliver and Felicity would end up being soulmates. From what Felicity had told Oliver, soulmates were a rare thing in this world and there was no actual explanation behind the phenomenon in the Dark World. In Oliver’s mind, he questioned whether or not Slade was actually aware of the bond that he and Felicity shared. He thought about what the Count had said; about him and Felicity having an unexplainable need to constantly save one another. Had that been a mere observation on the Count’s part or was it something that he had overheard Slade talking about? Oliver wondered just how long Slade had been observing him and his team. How much did his old friend and mentor actually know about what went on in the Foundry and in their personal homes? He knew that Oliver was the Arrow, that much was clear, and he had known when to approach Oliver’s mother and stepfather because Oliver wasn’t around to identify him. Slade was a hybrid created from the original mirakuru substance. Oliver wasn’t completely sure what powers it gave the man, but he had seen the monster that he could become. The sight of him in mid-shift in his family home would have been even more terrifying if he hadn’t actually seen Slade in his full wolf-mode. Back on Lian Yu, Oliver had only managed to defeat Slade because of the man’s temper. His emotions had been heightened after his turn, just like with anyone else, although Slade had always felt things more deeply than any other human that Oliver had known. His military background had taught him to hide it though, but Oliver had seen glimpses of the man’s humanity whenever he had been around Shado, the woman who had finally broken him.

It was a sad tale, a horrible part of his past that Oliver had tried to move on from. Last night, when he and Felicity had spend the night together in her apartment again, Oliver had talked to her about his concerns. He had questioned whether there was actually a possibility that slade could shapeshift too, like the Count had done. What if Slade was also one of those super-hybrids that could do close to anything? Felicity had told him that all supernatural beings still had beating hearts. All of them could be beaten somehow, in the end.

Oliver wondered if she was talking about killing Slade, something that he would have been up for just a year ago. Now, with their prison arrangement with A.R.G.U.S., Oliver wanted to know if there was another way. He knew that despite killing the Count, Felicity didn’t want to go down that road again. The Count had manipulated her mind and force-fed her blood, making her lose control. It had been an impossible situation and Oliver knew that Felicity hadn’t been in her right mind when she had slashed open the man’s throat. If there was a way for them to not kill Slade, to show mercy somehow, Oliver had to figure it out for her sake. He knew that she still carried the weight of the people who had died in the bombings on her shoulders, no matter how hard she was trying to accept the fact that they needed to move past what had happened. Every time that he was close to her and she lost herself to her thoughts, Oliver reached out to hold her hand because he knew what was going on inside her head. For Felicity, he had to find another way.

“My soulmate senses are tingling,” Felicity said suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. Her hand fell over his momentarily before she focused on the road ahead of them again. She sounded amused, but with a hint of concern.

“Is that a thing now?” Oliver asked her, not being able to help the small smile that appeared on his face. “Soulmate senses?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? We’re not reading one another’s mind, but we can pick up on what we’re feeling,” Felicity shrugged. “So, what are you thinking about?”

Oliver eyed her again, eyes lighting up as he tried to lighten the mood, “Why don’t you tell me?”

It was a challenge and he knew that Felicity was aware of it. He watched her as she tugged her lower lip between her teeth, hands on the steering wheel tightening only for a second.

“Well, from your worry, I am guessing that you’re not thinking about what we did last night,” she stated and the effect on Oliver was instant.

He thought about the previous night. How after talking for hours about their upcoming trip, neither of them could fall asleep because of their mind-boggling thoughts and worries. Instead, they had spent a good while exploring one another again, providing comfort through the touch of their hands and lips, whispering promises to one another in the dark. They hadn’t shared blood, but they had needed the physical connection more than anything else. In the hours that they had made love, they had learned one another in an as human way possible. When they had been well-spent and exhausted, they had wrapped their arms around one another, not bothering to dress for bed. They had learned something about their connection then too, mainly that it went beyond sharing blood. It appeared that whenever they opened themselves up for their bond, they were able to pick up on one another’s emotions just as well as they would have if they had been drinking blood from one another. The connection they shared wasn’t just enhanced by the blood exchange, but rather through their equal vulnerability for each other.

“Now that you mention it, I can’t stop thinking about it,” Oliver practically growled at her. It was embarrassing, how his pants felt a bit tighter just at the thought of them together in bed. Sex had always been a basic thing for him before, but with Felicity, it was otherworldly. The two of them being soulmates made it a thousand times better and whenever he was around her and she made an accidental quip or slipped in an innuendo, Oliver got as hard as a hormonal teenager getting to see his first pair of breasts.

As mentioned:  _ embarrassing _ .

“I wouldn’t mind a repeat,” Felicity said with a shrug. She looked over at him and he saw her eyes turn that golden hue for a second. He matched her grin with his own, nodding and confirming her wish with a silent promise. For the time being, his mind let go of Slade and all the terror that they would most likely end up facing in the near future. Once again, Oliver wondered instead just how lucky he could have gotten to have someone like Felicity Smoak to love him.

-§-

Felicity pulled up on a dirt road, the car bumping up and down on the uneven ground. She stared straight ahead, taking in the thick forest that surrounded the mountain. They were close to the foot of it and she had to stick to her previous thoughts about the location truly being remote. From what she had been able to tell, there would be a lake right next to the house and the large body of water on the right side of the road told her that they were close.

“There,” Oliver said. He lifted his hand and pointed toward a house that surprisingly enough  _ wasn’t  _ a small cabin, like what Felicity had been expecting. No, instead it was a bigger house with a wrap-around porch. The exterior wooden panels were dark, the windowpanes black and Felicity had no doubt that the house was well hidden when night fell. Despite the lake, there didn’t seem to be any other houses around. It was clear that this was definitely the safehouse that Lyla had supplied them with for Thea and Roy.

She parked the car and looked at the front door, nerves rising inside of her. There was no way for her to know how Thea and Roy would react when they saw her and Oliver. She was sure that Lyla had informed them that they would be visiting, although with Felicity’s fear about Roy being sired to Slade, she still worried.

“It’s going to be fine,” Oliver assured her, lifting her hand up to his lips, pressing a light kiss against the back of it. Felicity smiled, not even having realized that she had reached out to him and taken a hold of his hand. Touching him gave her all the comfort she needed.

They got out of the car, deciding to leave their bags in the car for now. Oliver once again laced their fingers together as they made their way toward the porch. Before they even stepped foot on it, the door opened and Felicity instantly froze. 

Thea looked at the two of them for a moment and Felicity took in the way that the younger woman had changed in such a short time. She had cut her hair, the ends of it just brushing against her shoulders. It was straighter than usual and it looked good on her. Thea’s eyes seemed a lot brighter too and her shoulders were relaxed.

“Ollie,” Thea breathed out, a grin spreading over her face. “Felicity. It’s so good to see you both.” She stepped through the door, heading straight for her brother. Felicity let go of Oliver’s hand, allowing him to embrace his sister fully. She watched as Oliver hugged Thea tightly, his eyes closing and Felicity could feel just how much he had missed the younger woman. It made something inside of Felicity’s chest tighten and release because she knew that he was relieved to see that his sister was safe, especially after what had happened these past couple of days. Thea let go of Oliver and walked up to Felicity, hugging her as well. This embrace was a bit shorter and Felicity tensed when she felt another presence before she reopened her eyes.

“Felicity,” Roy said, standing just as tensely at the door. He wore a flannel shirt and a wifebeater, his jeans dark and ripped at the knees. His frame somehow looked broader too, as if his muscles had expanded and grown over the month that he had been away.

Felicity pulled back from Thea and stared at her beta, not sure whether she should try and embrace him too. She wanted to, so bad. She had missed him. Still, she wasn’t going to force the younger man to interact with her immediately. They had been apart for a while and Roy might need to wrap his head around being close to her again, especially after his transition.

“Roy,” Felicity said, chewing on her lip. “Hi. How… How are you?”

Roy shifted on his feet and Felicity noticed how his jaw clenched momentarily, his knuckles white from the way that he had balled his hands up into tight fists. “I’m good,” he replied after some silence. “I’m better.”

“That’s good,” Felicity said, swallowing tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Oliver take a step toward her and she knew that he could feel how much this was hurting her. Seeing Roy like this was painful because she couldn’t help but feel like it was her fault for ever involving him in all of this.

“How about you come inside?” Thea suggested. “We just set the table for dinner. We have pasta and this spicy chicken sauce that I taught myself how to make one day when I got bored. I made plenty because Lyla called the secure line and told us that you guys were coming.”

“Food would be great,” Oliver nodded. “We’ll get our bags from the car after dinner.” He looked at Felicity and she nodded her confirmation. She ignored the knowing look on Thea’s face and the raised eyebrow that Roy sported. They made their way inside and that was when Felicity realized that Oliver had once again taken a hold of her hand, leading the way.

“Can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up, Speedy,” Oliver chuckled, earning a slap on his arm from Thea. Felicity finally let out a small breath when she noticed how Roy’s lips twitched up into a small smile.

-§-

Oliver was having trouble keeping up with the conversation at the table. His mind was trying to focus on what Thea was telling them about, but he kept picking up on Felicity’s emotions which was clouding his own head. He wished he could just reach out to her and assure her again that everything would be all right. She was concerned and she had every right to be.

“So,” Thea drawled, placing her elbows on the table as she rested her chin in her hands. Clearly she was done with talking about herself getting to experience the beauty of nature. “What have you guys been up to since we left?”

Oliver felt Felicity’s eyes on him and he turned to look at her for a moment before turning back to Thea. “A lot has happened, Thea,” he said. “We don’t want to bring all of that up tonight.”

“Of course,” Thea said. “You’ve been driving for hours. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“We took turns driving,” Felicity stated. “I think Oliver was actually talking about that a lot of things have changed since you two left Starling.”

Thea looked at her, “Have there been any developments with the case?”

“Yes,” Oliver said, “but we’d rather leave that for tomorrow. It’s better to discuss everything when we’re all rested and have a clear head.”

“Sounds good to me,” Roy said and Oliver noticed the way that he looked toward Felicity. It was the longest sentence he had spoken all night. Previously, he had only spoken in one or two-word sentences whenever Thea asked him something. It was clear that the younger man had changed a lot during his stay in the safe house too, and Oliver wondered just how much of it was because of the mirakuru that he had been injected with.

“Hm… Okay,” Thea agreed. “But I have to say, there’s something different about the two of you,” she added, pointing between Oliver and Felicity with her fork.

This time, Roy actually snorted, sending a look of disbelief toward Thea. “Yeah, they are together,” he pointed out, sounding as if he couldn’t quite understand how Thea had missed such an obvious thing. Oliver paused and glanced at Felicity again, noticing how her cheeks had turned a sweet shade of pink. There wasn’t any judgment in Roy’s tone and it sounded almost like he wanted to start teasing them. The tension that had previously occupied the room seemed to ease.

“Oh, really?” Thea blinked, a smile on her face. “I’m so happy for you guys,” she said after Felicity nodded. Oliver kept his eyes on Roy, who remained silent now.

“It’s a fairly new thing,” Felicity explained and this time, Oliver couldn’t help but reach over and place his hand over hers. He wondered how Roy had figured it out so easily, but he figured it might have something to do with the pack bond.

“I’m going to want to heart everything about it,” Thea said. “How long do you guys think you’ll be staying?”

“However long it takes,” Oliver responded.

“For what?” Roy asked.

“I guess we’ll know it when we see it,” Oliver shrugged before looking at his sister again. He needed to lighten the mood again. “Speedy, from now on, you’ll be the one cooking pasta at home,” he said, earning a laugh from his sister who only shook her head.

After dinner, Oliver and Roy got the bags out of the car while Thea showed Felicity the room that they would be staying in. Oliver decided not to pressure Roy into talking, figuring that it was better to leave Felicity to have a conversation with him tomorrow. He just thanked the younger man for helping and Roy grunted in response, looking lost in his own thoughts. As they got ready for bed, Oliver sat with his hands clasped in front of him. He watched Felicity tug on his shirt, expertly removing her bra before she made her way into the bed. Their room was on the other side of the house, far away from Roy and Thea and Oliver was grateful for it. He knew that with Roy’s enhanced hearing as a hybrid, he wouldn’t want Felicity’s beta to overhear anything that he and his mate got up to.

Not that they would be getting up to anything. Or well, Oliver didn’t think they would.

As he laid down on the bed, Felicity curled up against him and he couldn’t help but pull her closer. Inhaling her sweet scent, he closed his eyes and decided to just enjoy this moment with her. He was tired, much like Thea had said, and he was grateful for finally being able to relax a little at least.

“Tomorrow you should talk to Thea,” Felicity murmured quietly, tracing the scars on his chest and the lines of his tattoos. “Tell her about what happened and our plan.”

“I will,” he said. “You should go out with Roy tomorrow, explore the woods a little… Get some fresh air.”

Felicity quirked her eyebrow at him, “Are you suggesting I take Roy for a walk?”

“More like a run,” Oliver chuckled, tightening his grip on her. He wondered if it would to her good to try and reconnect with Roy that way. They were both wolves at heart and he had to assume that a part of them would find the forest relaxing. From what Thea had told Oliver, he knew that Roy had calmed down significantly due to being able to roam the woods freely.

Felicity pressed her nose against his throat, inhaling deeply and he felt her relax against him. “You’re probably right,” she said. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

Oliver’s fingers found their way into her blonde tresses and he pressed his lips against her forehead, kissing her softly before they settled in for sleep.

-§-

Felicity made her way down the path, eyes set and ears focused on her surroundings. The sound of birds chirping and the branches moving in the wind was a lulling sensation that calmed her nerves. She glanced over at Roy who was staring straight ahead. After breakfast, he had agreed to come with her for a run, but she wondered if he knew just what it was that she had planned. At first, she had intended for them to run like humans, but then, upon further thought, she had figured that it might be better to see just how much Roy had changed after being injected with the mirakuru. Changing into wolves was something that would have to wait until after they talked. Felicity wasn’t sure that speaking to one another with heightened emotions through a mental bond was the right thing to do. Not when she didn’t know exactly what Roy felt toward her now.

Instead, they settled for running in human form but with hybrid speed. They whizzed through the trees together. Felicity ran quickly, although she could see that Roy was much faster than before. There was an energy surging through him, almost as if he couldn’t contain all the power that was running through his veins. He was able to keep up with her much better as a hybrid, but she could sense that with some training, he might even surpass her speed. It made her assumption about him being injected with a more purified version of mirakuru seem more reliable. If she was right, the substance that Slade had injected her with was a less potent one. They had clearly been experimenting with the drug and she had been one of the first ones to be injected. Maybe that was why she had been able to resist the sire bond.

They made their way into a clearing a good distance from the house. She knew that there was no way that the others would be able to reach them in at least two hours if they set out to look for them. It would give Felicity plenty of time to see where Roy’s head was at. She signaled for Roy to slow down and he frowned as he did. Looking around, he took in the place that she had picked out and slowly nodded, as if he too was approving of it. She wondered what was going on inside his head. Deciding not to try and poke around inside of his head, Felicity sat down on the ground in the middle of the meadow, her fingers digging into the soft grass before she laid down fully. Even when she closed her eyes she could feel Roy’s curiosity as he stared her down.

A minute passed and she made a point of not saying anything at all. She heard Roy shift on his feet and soon enough, she made out the sounds of him joining her on the ground. Suppressing the urge to smile, she kept her eyes shut and listened to her surroundings. Oliver had been right. It was calming to be out in the woods. She could already feel the change in the atmosphere around her and her beta. Roy was significantly calmer as well and she breathed a bit easier knowing that he wasn’t going to give up on whatever it was that they were trying to do.

“I’m still pissed,” Roy suddenly blurted out, making Felicity’s thoughts pause. She blinked her eyes open, but she kept staring at the sky. It was a cloudy day and she could sense that it would probably rain later. There was no reason to leave yet though, because they had just gotten there.

“Who are you pissed at?” Felicity wondered, being careful not to look Roy’s way. She didn’t want to spook him.

“Myself, mostly,” he said, his fingers digging into the ground, pulling out some grass. “I’m angry at myself for being weak and letting them ambush me. They knocked me out before I could even see who they were.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Felicity told him. “It happened to me too.”

She felt the way that Roy stopped moving for a second. He was looking at her as if he had just remembered that she too had been turned against her will.

“I’m angry at you too,” Roy said then, his voice quiet. This time, Felicity did look at him and she met his hard eyes with a ferocity of her own. She didn’t know what she was feeling because everything was a blur, but she did know that she needed to stay alert in case something happened. Then again, she wanted to give Roy the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t his fault that things were as they were.

When Felicity didn’t say anything, Roy continued. His blue eyes flickered to a golden hue for a moment before they returned to blue again. “It’s not me though,” he told her. “It’s been there since I woke up, after I transitioned. I have this  _ rage  _ inside of me and for some reason, it’s focused on you.”

“We think the Master might have done that on purpose,” Felicity said. “He altered the mirakuru and made your genes specifically target me somehow. There’s no other way to explain it. It’s some biological setting that he specified somehow…”

“That’s all hypothetical,” Roy pointed out. “I’m telling you how I feel.”

She took him in, from the way that his shoulders were tense to the crease on his forehead as he watched her. “I know,” she said. “I didn’t mean to make you feel as if that doesn’t matter.”

“Felicity, I needed to get away from you, which was why I agreed to leave,” he said. “I was the one who wanted to go. It was my choice.”

“If I had been a better alpha,” Felicity argued. “If I would have been there to protect you, or stayed connected to you… I could have prevented this.”

“You’re still my alpha,” Roy said, his eyes flaring. He turned toward her, kneeling next to her where she still laid on the grass. Taking her hand in his, he held on tightly. “Don’t you see? That hasn’t changed? My loyalty to you is stronger than whatever the Master put in that mirakuru shit. Yes, it took some time for me to figure it out, but at the end of the day, I am still a part of your pack. The anger just makes it more difficult to control myself and I was afraid of what I might do to you when I saw you again.”

She could hear the honesty in his voice. He really meant it and it made her heart swell. Felicity sat up then, still holding on to Roy’s hands as she looked at him before he continued to speak.

“Thea talked to me a lot,” he explained. “She reminded me that the Master wasn’t the one I should be loyal to. She helped me remember that you were the one who really helped me. You kept me from becoming a blood wolf both before I turned for the first time and after I transitioned. You’re the one I owe my life to, not the Master.”

Tears burned in Felicity’s eyes and she felt herself lean a bit closer to Roy. Her hands shook as she took in his words and the faith that he had in her. She knew that she owed it to Thea for helping him so much while they had been alone.

“I was worried, which was why I was so distant last night,” Roy told her. “I wish I hadn’t been, because all I really wanted to do was hug you and tell you that I missed you.”

Felicity drew in a shaky breath, wiping at her eyes before she looked at Roy again. She knew that he didn’t know the details of what had happened with the Count and Slade and she knew that she needed to tell him. They were being honest with one another and she needed to tell him everything in order for them to fully show that their trust was strong.

“I killed someone,” she revealed.

There was shock written on Roy’s face and she wondered just what Oliver and Diggle had told him and Thea when they had been catching up over the phone. She had been a wolf at the time and she hadn’t wanted to hear anything. It had been more important for her to focus on not feeling anything in particular. Felicity told Roy everything, from the bombings to her kidnapping. She told him of the night that she had torn into the Count’s throat and how Oliver had tried to intercept and take the kill upon himself by shooting Vertigo in the heart. It didn’t make a difference though, because in the end, it had still been Felicity who had dealt the killing blow. Roy listened as she continued with how she had dealt with her pain and guilt; how she had run away from her problems instead of facing them. She didn’t tell her anything more about her and Oliver, other than the fact that him being there for her had made them confess what they had always known was there. Then she kept going, telling him about what happened at the mansion with Slade. She explained that they now knew who the Master was and that they were going to stop him. They would fight Slade with everything that they had and they would win, she knew it.

What surprised her though, was that once she finished telling her story, Roy pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. The worry that she had felt before faded and she closed her eyes as she let her friend hold her. The young man she considered family was back, she could feel it. He might still be struggling with the bloodlust, something that he shared with her when it was his turn to speak again, but Felicity knew that he was truly there. Roy wasn’t lost and they would be able to trust him.

“The world will still keep turning, no matter what happens to us in the end,” Roy mused, and Felicity knew that his words were true. No matter what happened to them, they would fight this final battle together and end the Master, once and for all. Roy had faith in her, even after Slade had tried to manipulate him and program him to hate her. Felicity knew that Roy overcoming the sire bond on his own, like she had done, was a sign that they were a lot stronger than what Slade and his minions believed. She had faith in their family and she knew that once they finally faced Slade, they would be able to defeat him, as long as they stayed together.

Pulling back from Roy, she looked him in the eyes as her own flashed golden. There was a smile on her face as she spoke. “How about we see how fast you can run as a wolf?” she asked. Roy’s answering grin and golden eyes was the only reply she needed.

-§-

Oliver sat quietly once he finished telling Thea what had happened during her absence in Starling City. She processed his words, a frown etched on her forehead as she worked through everything he had told her. Oliver had spoken about the Count, what had happened with Felicity and then later what they had learned about Slade being the Master. His sister had listened intently and he had seen the look of sadness that covered her face when Oliver told her about what the Count had done to Felicity. The anger had been evident in her eyes when he shared that their mother and Walter had been compelled by Slade. Thea hadn’t stopped him from speaking though, something which Oliver was grateful for. He had wanted to get everything off of his chest as soon as possible. One of the reasons was that he hoped his sister would understand why they needed Roy back in Starling. The more people they had on their team against Slade’s army, of hybrids, the better.

“I can’t say that I’m surprised that mom and Walter agreed to leave the city without much argument,” Thea finally spoke, her eyebrows still furrowed. “At least this way, they’ll be safe.”

“Mom agreed that it was the safest way to go,” Oliver said. “She knows about what we’re going to do and she has faith in us to succeed.”

That didn’t seem to surprise Thea either. She looked at him for a moment, searching his face for something else. Oliver didn’t know what was going on inside his sister’s head, but he knew that as soon as she gathered her thoughts, she would voice them. Something inside of his chest tugged at him and he looked out the window then, eyes focusing on the woods surrounding the house. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his hand over the place where his heart rested and he thought about Felicity. What was she doing? Were things with her and Roy okay? Was she in danger?

No, his heart told him. She was fine. He could feel the lightness in her, even though she wasn’t anywhere physically close to him. Wherever she and Roy were now, they were all right. A longing still filled him though and he wondered how long she would be gone. They had been gone for a while already, but he understood that they had things they needed to talk about. It didn’t stop him from missing her.

“You felt it too, didn’t you?” Thea asked and he looked up at her. She glanced pointedly down to his hand that was still resting on his chest and Oliver found himself nodding. “Why don’t you tell me more about you and Felicity?” Thea suggested. “I understand that you’re together, but if you felt the same thing that I just did, I’m sure there’s more to it than just doing something about the sexual tension that’s always been there.”

Oliver shot his sister an almost admonishing look. He didn’t exactly feel comfortable with discussing his and Felicity’s sexual chemistry with Thea. There were some things that needed to stay between him and Felicity. He knew that he had to give Thea something though, so he settled for the easiest confession, “I love her.”

His sister’s eyes lit up and he saw the smile playing on her lips. “It’s good to see that you got out of your phase of denial,” she teased, effectively making Oliver chuckle.

“I’ll never live that down, will I?” he quirked an eyebrow.

Thea shook her head, “Never. Although, I could be bribed into not mentioning it on your wedding day, whenever you guys decide to tie the knot.”

His heart stuttered inside his chest, a warmth coming over him once more as he thought about what it would be like. Since he had come back to Starling City, he had never thought about finding love and eventually marrying someone. It hadn’t been in his future, he had been sure of it. All he had been able to think about these past few years was his father’s list and saving the city from the Dark Ones. After meeting Felicity, he had shifted his focus to finding the Master and stopping him. Oliver had never thought that he would live as long as he had. Felicity had showed him another way, proven to him that not all Dark Ones were bad. Just calling them that in his mind felt wrong now. He had learned to separate the bad guys from the ones who only wished to live out their lives in peace. Some were born supernatural and it wasn’t their fault that they weren’t human. Oliver knew now that it would be a mistake to blame innocent wolves for what monsters did.

So imagining his wedding now, seeing Felicity walk toward him in a white dress with flowers in her hair as they made their relationship official in every way possible. He knew that he didn’t need to marry her in order to be sure that they belonged to one another and no one else. His soul was hers until the day he died and a sheet of paper wouldn’t make that any more real than it already was. They loved one another and that was enough. Although, it didn’t change the fact that the thought of calling her his wife was enticing. Thea’s words made him think about everything that a future with Felicity would entail after they took down Slade. They had already talked about kids and Oliver knew that with Felicity, he wanted everything.

“I regret wasting so much time, Speedy,” he said quietly. “Knowing what we’re about to face with Slade… I just wish I would have figured out my feelings sooner.”

“Hey,” Thea’s hand rested over his. “You guys will make it. I believe in you two and not just because you’re soulmates.” His eyes drifted up and Thea shook her head, chuckling. “Like I said before, I felt it at the same time that you did. Your heart, doing a flip or whatever. The warmth.”

“What does it mean?” Oliver wondered. He and Felicity were still exploring their bond now that they had both accepted it. Thea had had more time to figure things out with Roy.

“Well, I’ve learned that with Roy, it usually means that he’s changed,” Thea said. “Whenever he shifts into a wolf, our connection gets stronger. We think it’s because his wolf-part feels emotions more deeply.”

“Felicity turned into a wolf in order to keep her emotions at bay,” Oliver pointed out.

“From what I’ve understood, that was because she needed to connect with her wolf-side so that she wouldn’t lose control,” Thea said. “Wolves can get possessive when it comes to their mates, but hybrids are a bit different. It’s almost like they can shut down parts of their feelings and focus on one thing. In Felicity’s case, it was not allowing herself to feel her guilt.”

Oliver thought about how Felicity had been back then. Even as a wolf, she hadn’t shied away from him. She had sat with him, her head in his lap and she had allowed him to comb over her fur. He had known then too that it meant something, that she was letting him be that close to her. It had been the same thing when he had first watched her turn. He had reached out to her and she had allowed him to touch her. They had been connected even then.

“We slept together,” he blurted. Thea scrunched up her nose and leaned further away from him and he quickly realized that he should have voiced himself differently. “I mean, when she was a wolf, she laid in bed with me. Shit, Thea, it wasn’t anything like that,” he said, shaking his head when he felt his cheeks warm. “I meant that despite her being emotionally detached, she still stayed close to me. She didn’t mind me sleeping in bed next to her or my presence in her apartment.”

“Oh, Ollie,” Thea sighed. “That just proves that you’re always connected, even when she isn’t allowing herself to feel the human parts of herself.”

Oliver wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but fortunately, he didn’t have to. A howl alerted him in the distance, making both Oliver and Thea spring to their feet. They walked together with hurried steps to the front door and stepped out on the porch. He watched, his heart beating wildly inside his chest for just second. Then, he saw the two wolves emerge from between the trees. Felicity’s white pelt seemed even brighter in the sun, her golden eyes glinting as she and Roy, the brown wolf, circled one another. Oliver’s worry faded when he felt Felicity’s utter joy to be reunited with her beta as a wolf. The two of them were jumping over one another, a sight that would have been ridiculous to anyone who didn’t know the massive wolves. Oliver looked at Thea who laughed at the sight of the wolves play-fighting. He couldn’t keep the smile from his own lips as Thea leaned into his side. His arm wrapped around her shoulder as he looked at their mates who were still running around one another. In that moment, he didn’t think about Slade or the dangers that they would be facing soon. All he could feel was Felicity’s happiness that transferred to him.

“Imagine that we were both destined to end up with wolves,” Thea said, her smile wide.

Oliver tightened his grip on her and pressed his lips against her temple. “Yeah,” he breathed, his eyes connecting with the white wolf’s golden ones. For a moment, he saw them shift blue before returning to their golden shade. “Who would have thought.”

-§-

When Roy and Felicity finally got around to shifting back to humans, they both retreated to their respective rooms to get dressed. Oliver and Thea prepared some food together while their partners took a shower and afterward, they had dinner where the four of them discussed how to proceed. Oliver noticed the way that both Roy and Felicity seemed lighter somehow. They were more connected and there didn’t seem to be any awkwardness there like there had been the day before. To Oliver, it almost felt like old times. Eventually though, they decided to go to bed. Felicity and Roy were tired from having turned and Oliver knew that he wanted to catch up with Felicity and tell her what he had talked about with his sister.

Oliver pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it to Felicity who caught it instantly. She smiled gratefully at him, eyes moving over his bare torso before she tugged off her own shirt and bra and then pulled on his shirt. Removing the pants she had put on for dinner, she slid in under the comforter and settled in bed. Oliver licked his lips subconsciously. His mind wandered and for a moment, he thought about the skin that his shirt had exposed as it fell of her shoulder. He joined her in bed silently, his body curving around hers as she twisted so that her back was pressed flush against his chest. Kissing the back of her neck gently, he sighed, his hand finding its way under the shirt to rest on her hip.

Inside his head, his thoughts were warring. Oliver didn’t doubt what he felt toward Felicity or her emotions toward him. There wasn’t anything to doubt there. It was just that as he had been making dinner with Thea, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Slade and what it meant for them. He felt as if they could never catch a break and that was why he was grateful for getting these few days away from Starling City. At dinner, they had discussed things and finally decided that they would head back to the city the day after tomorrow. He needed to contact Diggle in order to make sure that everything was secure for their return. While they had been gone, he had gotten updates from Tommy who said that things were slow in the city. Apparently, after revealing that he was alive, Slade had decided to go underground. It worried Oliver because he knew that his old friend and mentor was most likely preparing to execute his plan. Oliver didn’t know what to expect when they finally did return to Starling City, but he couldn’t help but imagine all the things that could go wrong.

Oliver felt Felicity’s hand cover his and he sighed against her, closing his eyes. He knew that she could feel his dread and he didn’t want to worry her over nothing. Whatever they would end up facing, they could handle it together. It didn’t keep the knot inside his stomach from twisting though. When he thought about it again, he realized that it wasn’t just him thinking. He could feel Felicity’s own turmoil and worry and it fueled his own. The concern she had was amplifying his.

“What’s on your mind?” Felicity whispered, drawing circles on the back of his hand that rested on the warm skin of her hip.

“Do you think we made a mistake?” he wondered, not knowing if there was another way to voice his thoughts. There wasn’t a way to explain it other than to say that their bond let him pick up on the question that was circling around inside her brain. His question was genuine and he was afraid that she might decide that it’s all too much. With the threat of Slade just around the corner and everything in their past… He knew that she loved him, but maybe she didn’t want to have to think about them at an uncertain time like this.

Her hand gripped his tighter and he heard her release a small breath. “Don’t push me away,” she said and he felt the way that fear consumed her for just a moment. “I told you that I’m with you. I will be with you until the end. I love you and I won’t leave you, Oliver.”

“I can’t live without you, Felicity,” Oliver confessed, his face still pressed against the back of her neck. A tear slipped from his eye and he tried to get a hold of himself, but he couldn’t. Just the thought of her dying, the thought of losing her… It was too much.

“Oliver, you won’t have to,” Felicity said as she lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it. “I’ve said it so many times now, but you know that I would never let you go without a fight. Together, we’re stronger and we’ll make it. I know we will.”

She was radiating love again and he could feel it envelop him. Her warmth surrounded him and Oliver pulled back a little so that she could lay flat on her back. Felicity lifted her hand to his cheek and wiped away the stray tears that had fallen from his eyes. He looked down at her, one arm resting close to her head, holding him up while he cradled her cheek and leaned down. Oliver brushed his lips against hers, closing his eyes to savor the moment. God, he loved her.

Felicity’s hand came to rest on his shoulder for just a short second before her arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer in order to deepen the kiss. Her fingernails scraped against his skin, running over his short hair and he groaned against her when she bit down on his lower lip. Her tongue soothed the sting away and then Oliver pulled back and met her gaze again. Her pupils were blown, her iris a golden ring that made him once again lick his lips.

“Turn,” he said, his voice gravelly as he gently moved her body the way that he wanted her. He returned them to their spooning position and his hand once again found her hip under the shirt. As he drew maddening circles on her heated skin, he kissed down her neck, nibbling and biting down on the skin gently, allowing his human teeth to scrape against her flesh.

“Oliver,” Felicity whined lightly when he didn’t do anything else for a while. Her back arched into him, her ass pressing against his rapidly hardening length. His boxers didn’t exactly put many layers between them to make it less obvious. Grounding his erection against her, he managed to tear a broken gasp from her. He loved the breathlessness of her voice when she said his name; loved how her chest rapidly rose and fell, all because his touch was slowly driving her mad. His fingers trailed over her stomach, the pads of them lightly making their way up toward her breasts. Cupping one of them gently, he grinned against her skin as she arched her back again, seeking his touch. His thumb and forefinger found one of her nipples, pulling lightly on the tightened bud, making her gasp again. Oliver licked his lips, his tongue darting out to taste her too again.

“Oliver, fucking do something,” Felicity practically growled when he moved his hand to her other breast. He hummed and threw his leg over hers, effectively keeping her trapped against him. She tried to wriggle, seeking friction and Oliver finally complied, leaving her breasts alone before moving his hand downward again. Using his leg, he nudged against her and then shifted so that she could throw her own leg over his. His fingers trailed over the soft cotton of her panties and Felicity once again let out a sound that was similar to a snarl. It amused him, but he wasn’t just denying her what she wanted; this was just as hard for him as it was for her.

Felicity pushed back against him and Oliver choked out a sound when her backside once again connected with his front. He was painfully aware of his solid length that was without a doubt leaking precum, begging to be let into her heat. Swallowing thickly, Oliver finally pushed past her panties, fingers drifting gently over her wet curls before finding what he was seeking. A guttural moan fell from Felicity as he pressed one of his fingers into her. She was wet and her thighs were slick with her arousal already. When she rolled her hips forward, Oliver didn’t need to be told what to do twice. Instead, he added another finger and steadily started pumping into her. Felicity threw her arm up, her fingers tangling in his hair as she sought out his lips with her own. He kissed her, catching the moans that fell from her and he couldn’t help but grind his erection into her again.

“Come on, Felicity,” he murmured encouragingly against her lips. “Tell me what you need.”

“You,” she choked out. “God, Oliver! I just need you.”

Her hand released his hair, her mouth falling open as he continued to work her with his fingers. His thumb found her clit and he started circling it almost lazily. He felt her hand reach between their bodies and he lost his pace when she covered his hardness with her hand, rubbing over the material of his boxers. He pressed into her, biting down on her shoulder as he tried to get himself under control. He wasn’t going to blow until he was inside of her.

Felicity seemed to be thinking the same thing as her fingers found the elastic band of his boxers and started tugging them down. Oliver pulled his fingers out of her for a moment, but only so that he could pull her panties down over the curve of her ass. He gave her enough room to kick the garment off and he did the same to his boxers before he once again pulled her leg back over his. Oliver knew there was no way either of them would be able to hold on much longer, so he grasped himself and tugged a few times before finding her entrance. For a split second his mind registered that he was going in bare, but he knew that they were both too far gone to stop now. His slight hesitation faded when Felicity pushed back against him, seeking him out with a low sound of desperation. She glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled, her eyes hooded as she gave him the briefest of nods. Felicity’s fingers intertwined with his and she pulled his hand back to the juncture between her spread legs. As he entered her slowly, torturously from behind, Felicity guided his fingers into her again.

“Oh, fuck… Fuck,” Oliver grunted against her skin, his hips pushing forward as he slid into her tightness. This was different from what they had done so far; the position wasn’t giving him much room to move, but the small thrusts were enough and the angle made him reach spots inside of her that he hadn’t touched yet.

“You feel so good,” Felicity gasped and Oliver could feel her entire body shaking with the effort she was making to hold on just a bit longer. She was circling her clit on her own, applying some pressure there while his fingers stroked over her and his cock moved inside her.

Heat was rising inside of him, his muscles spasming as the knot inside his belly uncoiled. White noise filled his ears for a second and his mind went blank the second he felt Felicity’s walls clench down on him. His release was immediate, following her as they fell into bliss together. He kept moving though, letting her spasm around him, drawing out both of their orgasms. His fingers slowed and Felicity’s wetness coated his hand, mixing with his own. He was still inside of her as she twisted and pressed her lips against his in a hard kiss.

“I love you,” she told him, her voice still shaky from the earth-shattering orgasm she had just experienced. He knew they needed to get themselves cleaned up before they settled in to sleep, but he returned her kiss with a softer one, allowing them another moment to catch their breath.

“I love you,” he returned, “and I will never leave you.”

Felicity smiled against him and Oliver shut his eyes when her lips found his once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That was a long one! I hope it made up for my absence and that you liked it.
> 
> First off, I just wanna take a moment to thank everyone who has left reviews/comments, kudos, favorite/alerted this fic. It has been a blast to see everyone's thoughts and support. Honestly, without you readers, I wouldn't be anything. That is why I have decided to have this Q&A thing. I wrote a post on Tumblr about it, but since I'm still busy with school, I know that I won't be able to have it until afterward. I'm thinking, once I get chapter 31 posted too (after I actually write it...), I'll start accepting questions on both Tumblr and Twitter. On Twitter, I usually use the hashtag "HuntedFic" when tweeting about this story and my username is "Sugar_Pepper666". On Tumblr, I'm "author123456". Because of time zones and readers all over the world, I'll probably gather all of your questions, record a video of me answering them and then post it on my Tumblr/Twitter. In other words, if you have any burning questions regarding this story, feel free to send them to me either on Twitter or on Tumblr! :)
> 
> Thank you once again for reading and showing your support. You guys mean the world to me! Until next time, lots of love! xx


	31. The Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Roy and Thea back, the team is working hard to figure out when Slade might strike next. Meanwhile, the search for a cure against the mirakuru brings an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! First of all, I wanna thank you guys for being so incredibly patient with me. I have been working my arse off with my thesis and soon, I'll be graduating so there's that! :D I also want to say that this is chapter 31, which means that there are technically just two more chapters of this story planned... Although, I am thinking about splitting the next one in two and making it a two-parter! What do you think about that? (I suppose it also depends on the length of it...).
> 
> Either way, this story WILL have an epilogue too, so it's not completely over yet! ;) There will be more info in the end-note, so don't skip that one! It's about the Q&A I'm going to be doing for this fic! ;)
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter! :) xx

**Hunted**

**Chapter 31: The Cure**

 

The past couple of weeks while Thea and Roy had been in the safe house and Tommy had been busy with keeping Laurel from finding out about his involvement with the Arrow, the Foundry had been fairly empty. Oliver, Felicity and Diggle had been forced to go back to the way that they had worked before, just the three of them and things had been quiet. However, now, their lair was once again overflowing with people and Oliver carefully took them all in. Felicity was once again back behind her computers, working through all the data they had on Slade, which wasn’t much at all. Tommy was beside her but remaining silent, glancing from the blonde to the screen in front of them every few seconds as if trying to make out just what it was that she was doing. Oliver could see Felicity’s fingers moving at a rapid speed, faster than humanly possible and he knew that she was using her hybrid abilities to set the searches faster. They had come back to Starling City three days ago and since then, Felicity had been working day and night to figure out where Slade might be hiding. So far, the searches had come up empty.

Yesterday, Oliver and Diggle had discussed whether they should involve A.R.G.U.S. in the search. Lyla and her division had already been working with them, although getting the full support of the secret organization would have helped a lot. However, it seemed like Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S. wasn’t willing to waste any more resources on their operation.

Lyla had come in this morning and the team had had an extensive discussion on how the work for a cure against mirakuru had been going. The woman revealed that Waller was blocking them on purpose from creating the cure, putting the research money into other things. Lyla had tried to explain to the woman that a cure against hybrids could be a game changer, especially with the imminent threat of Slade’s hybrid army, but it seemed like Amanda didn’t care much for Starling City. Apparently, they needed to focus on other things.

The news frustrated Oliver to no end because he had known since the very beginning that Amanda Waller would stab them in the back. She was known for only looking out for herself and her organization. Oliver had put his worries aside and trusted Lyla to deal with Amanda. So far Lyla’s division had been helpful, but since Amanda was cutting their resources off, Oliver knew that they needed to figure something else out. Diggle suggested that he and Lyla try to go above Waller somehow, but Lyla argued that doing so would essentially mean that she had to break her department away from A.R.G.U.S. completely. In turn, they would need to contact the president and get the funding for their secret operations, which bureaucratically would take too long to set up. They didn’t have all the time in the world.

Roy and Thea had been busy going through anything they could find on the Internet that might help them figure out where Slade had been all these years. They were running searches and looking for candid shots for facial recognition, although so far they hadn’t come up with anything either. With the pace that things were moving at, Oliver was certain that they would have absolutely nothing at all figured out by the time that Slade made his next move.

They were all doing their best and the Foundry had never housed this many occupants before. Still, Oliver didn’t know what good it would do to have them all there if they weren’t getting anywhere with anything. If they could just have one win, get the upper hand for _once_ … Oliver looked over at Felicity again, who was still typing furiously at her workstation. He knew that all of it was taking a toll on her and he wanted nothing more than to ease her mind. He wished there was something he could do, but besides keeping the streets safe at night with Diggle and Roy by his side, he hadn’t been able to contribute with much so far. Oliver didn’t even know where to begin and he was starting to feel useless. Everyone else was doing whatever they could and he didn’t want to intervene in case he somehow messed up their work. That was why he stayed out of the way and did the only thing he could do. He took out his own frustrations at the Dark Ones who were still hunting innocents on the streets and as the Arrow, he kept in contact with Detective Lance, keeping the man informed about the progress of their case. He was thinking about revealing his identity to the man, especially now that they knew that Slade’s agenda was personal. They knew who the real threat was and Oliver wanted every resource they had to be put to use. Lance could be helpful, especially if he knew the cops who might be working for Slade. It was something that he knew he would need to discuss with his team eventually, but for now, all he could do was hope that they would eventually figure something out that could help them against his old mentor.

-§-

Two weeks had passed since Felicity and Oliver returned to Starling City with Thea and Roy. The knowledge that Slade was the Master didn’t change much when it came to them actually finding out his whereabouts. It frustrated Felicity to no end, this stand-still that they had found themselves in. She had been working day and night trying to get just a small clue as to where the madman might be hiding, but no matter what searches Thea and Roy did, what strings that Lyla pulled or leads that they followed up on, they couldn’t figure it out. All she wanted was for them to save Starling City, their home, but for now it seemed like they weren’t going to get anywhere.

Slade seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the earth.

That was why Felicity found herself taking out her frustrations on one of the dummies in the lair one night. Tommy and Lyla hadn’t been in at all tonight and Diggle had gone home shortly after ending his patrol with Oliver. Felicity had sent Thea and Roy back to her apartment, where they were both staying now with her and Oliver, but she had decided to stick around. Her computers were up and running, a drawing of Slade running through every facial recognition database that Felicity knew of. They had gotten the drawing after Felicity contacted Detective Lance and asked to speak with a sketch artist. There hadn’t been any questions asked by the detective when Felicity had made the request. However, Slade was a ghost. It seemed as if all the data that had existed of him had been wiped clean from every server. Felicity knew that it required some mad skills to accomplish such a thing, but she was looking for any trace, any little breadcrumb that could help her pick up the thread and start pulling. She hoped that once she eventually found something to hold on to, everything would be unraveled, from Slade’s location to his purpose with the hybrid army. If he had wanted to kill Oliver or her, he could have overpowered them in the mansion that night if he had kept fighting them. She had felt the raw power that he exhibited; she had no doubt in her mind that he was still very much playing the long game.

“Hey,” Oliver’s voice sounded behind her just as Felicity sent a final kick of frustration against the dummy, breaking it in half. She stared at the broken equipment, turning to look at Oliver as she panted heavily. He was still in his Arrow-gear, having just come back from his own patrol down by the harbor. She watched him take her in, from her yoga pants and sports bra to her taped hands. Her knuckles were bleeding from the excessive force, but her skin was stitching itself up slowly and her hands were numb anyway.

“Hi,” she echoed, letting out a low breath. Oliver stepped closer to her, his hood pulled back as his leather-clad hands rested on her bare waist. The touch shot a wave of heat through her spine and momentarily, she closed her eyes, trying not to remember how many times she had imagined them being in a situation like this in the lair. Of course, that had been under different circumstances, but the scenario was rather similar. Oliver in his Arrow-suit and her in barely anything…

She opened her eyes and her hands rose to rest on his shoulders as she squeezed them lightly. “How did your patrol go?” she asked him, hoping to distract herself from the feelings that were simmering inside of her. Since they had come back, they hadn’t really had much time for themselves, but that was understandable. For her, it was enough that they still slept in the same bed when they went back to her place at night. Cuddling and kissing Oliver long into the night gave her more comfort than anything else ever could. They hadn’t slept with one another since the safe house though, so Felicity couldn’t deny that she was starting to crave his touch for other reasons as well.

“Fine,” Oliver offered as a reply and she could feel his concern for her. “How was your night?”

“Better now that you’re safe here with me,” Felicity offered, leaning her forehead against his chest. The leather was strangely cool against her heated skin, something which told her that it must be rather chilly outside tonight.

“It’s going to rain soon,” Oliver told her, his hands moving over her arms comfortingly. “Maybe we should head back home.”

It wasn’t a question, although she could sense that he too would rather stay there for another moment. His arms banded around her and she felt his chin rest on top of her head as he embraced her. God, she loved him.

“I sent another message to Barry,” she murmured quietly.

“Any success?” Oliver wondered.

“The first sample he got from Roy wasn’t enough to do much research on,” she explained. “I’m thinking about a new solution, which was what I messaged Barry about. I think I should give him a sample of both my own blood and Roy’s again and- _Oliver!_ ” she couldn’t help but laugh when his grip on her tightened and his lips found the side of her neck. He nuzzled against her skin, kissing the tender flesh above her pulse point, making her blood rush through her veins.

“We’re alone,” he said, pointing out the obvious. He pulled back from her enough to raise an eyebrow at her. “We are alone down here for the first time in two whole weeks and I know we have a lot of things to talk about, but…” Trailing off, he gave her a quick once over and when his eyes connected with hers, she could see the same hunger that she felt reflected back at her. Grinning, she nodded slowly, lifting her hands to thread her fingers through his hair as she pulled his face down to her level so that she could kiss him properly. Their lips pressed together, mouths opening and tongues tangling as she allowed herself to just give in. Unzipping his leather jacket, she pushed the material off of his shoulders, leaving him in his leather pants and the black t-shirt he normally wore underneath the hood. She continued with their kisses, even as he pushed her backward gently and her back connected with one of the pillars in the basement. Nibbling on his lower lip, she heard Oliver suck in a deep breath as she successfully pulled his shirt over his head. His large hands cupped her ass, moving down to the back of her thighs as he lifted her up effortlessly. Wrapping her legs around him, she leaned back against the pillar in order to lower her hands to the fastenings of his pants. Oliver’s hands continued to move over her bare skin, fingers finding their way inside the waistband of her yoga pants, brushing against her panties. She was frustrated beyond belief and just having his fingers close to her center was throwing her hormones into overdrive. Grinding down against him, she swallowed his grunt and Oliver’s hand slipped in between the elastic material. Felicity moaned at the touch, but just a few seconds later her gasp was cut off by a yelp of surprise.

A flash lit up the entire basement and Oliver pulled his hand out of her pants when a figure stumbled onto the training mat with a muffled sound. Felicity stared wide-eyed at the man who had appeared, her cheeks heating up as she forced herself to separate from Oliver who promptly stood behind her, obviously trying to hide the raging hard-on he was currently sporting.

Barry Allen looked between the two of them and Felicity saw the second he realized what he had just interrupted. There was a hint of a blush on her friend’s cheeks as he quickly covered his eyes.

“Why do I always arrive at the wrong time?” Barry sighed to himself.

-§-

Oliver was forced to take a quick, albeit _very cold_ shower after Barry’s surprise arrival in the Foundry. While he was disappointed that his alone-time with Felicity had been cut short, he hoped that Barry’s arrival might bring something new to the table. He and Felicity would just have to reign in their frustrations and wait until they got back home.

When he got out of the shower, Oliver was surprised to see Diggle in the Foundry with them. The older man looked tired around the eyes, indicating that he must have been asleep when Felicity had called him. Diggle looked over at Oliver and for a moment, amusement crossed his face. Oliver was certain that either Felicity or Barry had accidentally let it slip about the compromising position that their surprise guest had found him and his mate in. Oliver rolled his eyes, finding his way to Felicity’s side. He took her hand in his and squeezed gently, offering her silent support before he took a seat next to Diggle.

“Roy should be here any moment,” Felicity said. “I called him and told him to come down here as soon as possible. He’ll drop off Thea at Tommy and Laurel’s place since we don’t know how long we’ll actually be here tonight.”

“I told Lyla that we’d call if she was needed,” Diggle said and Oliver was quick to raise an eyebrow at the man. This time, Diggle was the one to roll his eyes. Oliver chuckled and by his side, he heard Felicity snicker. They had no idea why their partner was still trying to hide the fact that he and his ex-wife were clearly growing closer.

Oliver looked down at Felicity who had pulled on a shirt and pulled her hair up in a neater ponytail. She offered him a small smile, her eyes momentarily turning gold as she glanced downward. Oliver swallowed thickly, feeling the need that was still simmering under her skin.

They _really_ needed some time for themselves.

The door to the Foundry was pushed open and a rumpled-looking Roy walked down the stairs, muttering under his breath about annoying phone calls in the middle of the night and teleporting witches. Shortly after the other hybrid’s arrival, Barry apologized for literally appearing out of nowhere and disrupting them in the middle of the night.

“I’m sure you all had better things to do than to hang around here all night,” Barry blurted, flushing deeply when he averted his gaze from Oliver and Felicity. Oliver pressed his lips together, eyes set firmly on a point in the distance so that he wouldn’t roll them again.

When Diggle smirked, Roy looked between the older man and the others, eyebrows shooting up. “Wait, did I miss something?” he asked, his own lips twitching.

Oliver squeezed Felicity’s hand before clearing his throat, “I think we have more pressing matters to discuss. Barry, what are you doing here?”

Felicity elbowed him and Oliver shot her a look. “You could have worded that more nicely,” she said pointedly.

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” Oliver returned through gritted teeth, but he couldn’t help but be amused by her. Yes, he could have asked Barry in a nicer way, although he wanted to get to the point before the conversation derailed like he was certain it would with Felicity and Barry in the same room.

Oliver knew that he didn’t have any reason to doubt him and Felicity. She had assured him that the kiss that she had shared with Barry hadn’t meant anything, but it was still an image all too fresh in Oliver’s mind. He didn’t have a right to say anything though, because that would without a doubt make him a hypocritical bastard on some level.

“Okay,” Barry drawled, rolling back on his heels before he turned to the rest of the team. “So, I got your message, Felicity,” he started, “and it got me thinking. I’ve taken some time off of work in order to try and figure out a cure for this mirakuru thing. If it’s okay with you guys, I’d like to work from here?”

“Yes, of course, Barry,” Felicity nodded instantly. Oliver looked at her, feeling her hopefulness.

“How do you plan on making a cure?” Diggle wondered.

“Felicity was the one who thought of it, actually,” Barry admitted. “She sent me an email suggesting that we cross-reference her and Roy’s blood in order to figure out the components in the more potent version of the mirakuru. I thought about it and I think it would be a great way to reverse engineer them to make a cure.”

“So you need another sample of my blood,” Roy said.

“And Felicity’s too,” Barry nodded. “Assuming that you guys are okay with that?” he quirked an eyebrow at them.

Roy lifted his sleeve, his eyes momentarily flashing golden as he grinned, “Why don’t we start immediately?”

Twenty minutes later, Oliver and Diggle were sparring on the training mats while they waited for Barry to collect his samples from Roy and Felicity. The three of them were discussing Barry’s powers that had become stronger since he started practicing magic daily. Felicity seemed to be taking in every piece of information that Barry offered her and Roy had always been curious to learn more about Barry and his heritage. Oliver knew that Barry had been training and learning more about his powers since he had left Starling City. He listened curiously as Barry explained that most of his powers were based on the elements and nature. However, according to Barry, his mother’s family had a history of teleportation, telekinesis and telepathy. Those were rare abilities that had essentially made his mother, Nora Allen, a target. The night that she had been murdered, she had successfully teleported Barry away from the house before she had been stabbed by the shifter who had taken the shape of Barry’s father.

Oliver paid careful attention to what Barry was sharing with Felicity and Roy while he took their blood. Diggle seemed to be listening too, even though they kept up with their training.

“Does it freak you out a bit?” Diggle asked when he blocked a hit.

“What?” Oliver grunted as he moved quickly, trying to get another jab in.

“This whole witchy business,” Diggle clarified.

“No?” Oliver frowned. “Why would it?”

Diggle took a few steps back and shrugged, keeping the metal bars up in preparation for Oliver’s next attack. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s just, I’m used to vampires and werewolves,” he started. “Hell, even shapeshifters are becoming part of the norm now… I never expected for there to be magic too, you know?”

“I wouldn’t think too much about it,” Oliver told him. “When we start looking into all the creatures that exist, we’ll probably start getting paranoid.”

“You’re already paranoid, Oliver,” Diggle chuckled. “But seriously, what if a witch uses their powers to win the lottery or something?”

“Are you worried that you’ll lose on the lottery against a witch?” Oliver couldn’t help but laugh. “Who is paranoid now?” he challenged. Diggle shot him a glare. “Seriously, Dig. Didn’t you just hear Barry say that witch powers are usually elemental? As in fire, water and all that? I hardly think he or any other witch is going to set fire to the lottery-man in order to win a couple of thousand dollars.”

Diggle just shook his head at Oliver, muttering under his breath about witchcraft not being natural or something. It made Oliver laugh again until Diggle effectively managed to get a hit in.

“Putting my opinion on Barry’s powers aside,” Diggle said after a couple of minutes. “Did he really teleport into the Foundry just as you and Felicity were-”

“ _Okay_ ,” Oliver cut him off quickly. “How about we don’t talk about this right now?”

Diggle once again chuckled, looking both smug and amused. “Oh, if I were you, I’d worry more about him mastering those telepathic powers he mentioned before. We wouldn’t poor Barry to get a full vision of what _you’re_ thinking about when you’re close to your mate.”

Oliver growled at Diggle and attacked again, but the older man managed to dodge the hit, laughing all the while. Oliver made a mental note to ask Felicity later just how Barry’s special powers worked.

-§-

A few days later Oliver found himself getting Chinese food with Thea for themselves and the rest of the team after a long day in the office by himself. They had been doing damage control together, calming the situation with the board members who were questioning Walter and Moira’s sudden departure from Starling City. Even though Moira and Walter were no longer directly involved with the company, they still had a role to play. Some of the board members worried that their departure meant that something was about to happen to Queen Consolidated and their investments, but Oliver was quick to assure them that Moira and Walter had only decided to take some time for themselves and go on a vacation. It seemed to do the trick and afterward, he had grumbled on to Thea about how easily convinced the members of the board were. They just needed to be assured that their money was safe and then they usually left things up to Oliver to figure out. It was tiring, and with everything else going on, Oliver was sure that he too wanted to take a long vacation after they defeated Slade. In the back of his mind, he recalled that he had had a conversation about the same thing with Felicity. He smiled momentarily, thinking about how good it would feel to take her away for a few weeks where they could just be free to relax.

“Oh, wow,” Thea said, startling him out of his thoughts. “It’s been days since I’ve seen you smile like that. Don’t do it too much, or we’ll all forget what a Grumpy Cat you really are.”

“I haven’t been grumpy,” Oliver said, raising an eyebrow at his sister.

“Who are you trying to kid here, Ollie?” Thea asked with a laugh. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” Oliver dismissed. “We just have a lot going on and things are progressing slowly with the cure and all that…”

“ _Ah_ ,” Thea smiled. “I assumed that it might have something to do with the cure… Or maybe Felicity staying in the Foundry for so long last night? With Barry?”

Oliver side-eyed her, lips pressed together before he payed for their food and collected their takeaway. He shouldn’t even comment on what she was saying because no matter what he said, it was bound to come out wrong.

“Are you actually worried that Felicity might cheat on you?” Thea questioned, her voice serious once more.

“No!” Oliver instantly objected. His eyes widened as he stared at his sister, not understanding where she would even get such an idea. Felicity cheating on him was something that he knew would _never_ happen. Just like he had no interest in any other women, he knew Felicity would never look at another man and want to leave him.

“I don’t know how your mind works, Ollie,” Thea quickly defended herself. “All I know is that at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if you actually worried that she might do such a thing.”

“We’re soulmates, Thea,” Oliver said. “You should know better than anyone else what that means.”

“Oh, I know,” Thea stated. “If I remember correctly, I was actually the one who called that you guys would end up being soulmates, and brother dear, that was _before_ I even knew about the Dark World,” she told him in a hissed whisper. Oliver recalled somewhere in the back of his mind the teasing conversations that Thea had shared with Tommy and Laurel. His younger sister had expressed her suspicions about him and Felicity essentially belonging together long before Oliver had even admitted that he felt something for the blonde. She had teased him about his and Felicity’s future wedding and now, the mere thought of that being a possible future for them made his chest warm.

“I know,” Oliver finally said, not wanting to lose himself in his thoughts again. He and Felicity were already soulmates, so getting married could wait… If that was even something that Felicity wanted with him. Oliver shook his head, knowing that he needed to focus. “I just miss my girlfriend,” he said, instantly cringing at the word.

“What was that face?” Thea questioned.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess it just feels wrong to call Felicity my ‘girlfriend’ when she’s-”

“So much more?” Thea suggested as she interrupted him. Oliver nodded slowly, glad that his sister got what he was trying to say. “Yeah,” Thea said with a nod. “I understand perfectly well, big brother.” She patted him lightly on the chest before they made their way to the car. They had to get back to the Foundry to check up on how things were progressing with the cure. Oliver couldn’t wait until everything with Slade was dealt with so that they could all just move on with their lives.

-§-

Two days later, Oliver returned to the Foundry after a long patrol. Diggle and Roy were still out, although he knew that they would most likely go home once they finished. Since Barry’s arrival, they all decided to not crowd the witch too much in the Foundry, but Oliver had to get changed and then get Felicity home. She had been in the Foundry day and night and the few hours of sleep that she got at home, Oliver watched her as she slept, feeling her inner turmoil and stress. There had been too many times that she had woken him up, whimpering as her memories of captivity slowly made themselves clearer. Oliver wished he could take away her pain, but the only thing he could do was hold her throughout the night and try to get some rest himself.

When he made his way down the stairs, he was surprised to find the lair quiet. Frowning, he removed his hood and looked over to the small lab that they had set up for Barry. The younger man was sitting at the desk, eyes covered with safety goggles as he mixed some red substances, scribbling down messy notes every few seconds. Oliver turned his attention to the other corner, the pull strong as his eyes settled on Felicity’s sleeping form. She was resting on the cot that she had slept on when she had first joined the team. Oliver made his way over to her slowly, smiling at the way that she had curled up in a fetal position. Her lips were parted and she was snoring lightly. Oliver knew she was exhausted so he didn’t want to disturb her. Instead, he pulled the blanket higher up her shoulders. He paused momentarily when he realized she was wearing one of his t-shirts. In her sleep, Felicity mumbled something that sounded a lot like his name before snuggling into the warmth of the blanket. Oliver brushed the back of his fingers against her soft cheek and then sighed, pulling back.

After changing out of his leather suit, Oliver made his way over to Barry, wanting to see how things were going for the scientist. Barry clearly noticed him, but didn’t say anything as he shook one of the vials he was holding. Using a pipette, he put one drop of the liquid on a small glass square. He secured another glass over it and then turned around to look at Oliver.

“How was it out there tonight?” Barry asked, looking genuinely curious.

“Not too much movement,” Oliver said. “It worries me… Makes me feel as if something is coming.”

“It might not help much, but I believe that you guys will get through this,” Barry told him. “I mean, you’re a hunter, you have two hybrids on your team and John might not be a supernatural being, but those arms look like they could crush a boulder. Then there’s Tommy and Thea, Felicity’s trained tech-support… You’ve got this handled, trust me.”

“Slade has an army of hybrids,” Oliver reminded him. “Even if we have a powerful team, we’re outnumbered.”

Barry drew in a small breath, “You are...not very optimistic.”

“Just stating facts,” Oliver sighed. “I know we’ll beat him.”

“Good,” Barry said, smiling.

A moment of silence passed until Oliver cleared his throat. “So, how’s it going here? Any breakthroughs?”

“I don’t really know,” Barry admitted, scratching his head. “I’ve tried changing out one of the components that I tried last night, but I’ll have to check how the blood-cells in the sample react to the new formula.”

Oliver nodded slowly, knowing that all this work was without a doubt taking its toll on Barry as well. The man looked tired and Oliver knew that he probably wasn’t sleeping very well either. “Hey, I… I think I should apologize again for the way that I acted last time you were here,” Oliver said. He put his hands in his pockets and waited for Barry to say something, but at first, the man just chuckled.

“It’s understandable,” Barry told him. “Now that I know about you and Felicity- Which I totally saw coming, by the way,- it’s no wonder that you were so pissed. I was flirting with your soulmate, after all.” Oliver raised his eyebrow at Barry, silently questioning just how much the younger man knew about his relationship with his mate. “Felicity summed it all up pretty quickly after I got here,” Barry said. “We’ve had some time to kill while you’ve been at Queen Consolidated and you know how she can babble.”

“I’m glad she has you as a friend,” Oliver told him and he honestly meant it. It was good that Felicity had people to talk about besides him. Sure, they shared everything with one another, but just like he sometimes needed his sister to discuss some matters with, he knew that Felicity needed someone like Barry. Yes, Diggle was normally their confidant, although Barry had an optimism about him that was contagious. They could all use some of that, especially now.

“I’m glad to have her,” Barry admitted. “I mean, when she first told me her suspicions about what I am… It made sense, but inside, I was freaking out. When I returned home to Central City, I struggled a lot to come to terms with who and what I am. Felicity was there for me whenever I called her in a panic, wanting to just give up on learning how to use my magic. She encouraged me and supported me. Her words were the push that I ultimately needed in order to embrace my powers and use them to do some good in the city.”

Pride welled inside of Oliver as he listened to Barry talk about Felicity and the way that she had helped him. The woman was incredible on so many levels and Oliver was the luckiest man in the world to be able to call her his.

“I think we can all use another person helping to make the world a better place,” Oliver said, trying to make it clear that he had Barry’s back. In return, Barry smiled, tipping his head forward in a curt nod. “ _But_ ,” Oliver started, eyes glinting with mischief, “if you ever think about kissing her again, an arrow up your ass would be the least of your concerns.”

Barry’s face fell and his eyes widened. Oliver managed to hold off from chuckling for just a few seconds, but as soon as his smile broke out, Barry grinned back at him. Oliver patted him on the shoulder and then, the urge to turn around washed over him. He felt her presence before she said his name. Oliver looked over his shoulder and his eyes settled on Felicity who sat up in the cot, running her hand through her messy hair.

“Oliver?”

He breathed out slowly and made his way over to her. Felicity smiled at him, clearly happy to see him. Her arms lifted and Oliver crouched down in front of her. Instantly, her arms wrapped around him in a tight hug.

“Is everything okay?” she wondered, voice still sleepy. He wished he could just take her away and keep her safe; he wished she didn’t have to go through everything that she was going through.

“Everything is good,” Oliver told her, his lips finding the skin at the base of her throat. He pressed a light kiss there and breathed her in. Her grip on him tightened and she nuzzled against him.

“Hey, guys?” Barry suddenly spoke up, sounding a bit distracted. “Holy crap!” he exclaimed, making Oliver pull back from Felicity. They were both instantly on alert as they looked over at their friend. “Shit, I figured it out!”

-§-

Felicity bit down on the pad of her thumb as Barry explained how the blood-cells in this latest sample had changed when they had reacted with the substance he had created. The cells had at first slowed their splitting and then Barry had clearly observed the new splittings looking different from the hybrid-gene carrying ones. The moment Barry had made his announcement, they had called in the rest of the team. This time around, Thea and Tommy were there too because they knew that with this possible breakthrough, they all needed to be present.

There were so much science involved and for a moment, Felicity lost focus as she thought of what this might mean. If they had a cure for the mirakuru, they could reverse the powers that Slade had given all those wolves. They could turn them back into simple werewolves, who would without a doubt be weakened and easily apprehended. This could be their turning point.

“How do we know for sure if it works?” Thea wondered once Barry finished explaining how he had created the possible antidote.

“We’ll have to try it, of course,” Barry said. “I’ve written down the components, so I should be able to create more of it when I return to S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City. The moment I have enough, I’ll teleport them back here myself.”

“Okay, so we have to test the thing,” Diggle said. “How long would it take for us to find a hybrid in the city who might have been turned by Slade?”

“We don’t need to find anyone,” Felicity stated. “Both Roy and I were turned by the mirakuru…”

“Actually, we know for sure that you were turned by an early version of the serum,” Tommy pointed out. “Now, I’m not sure what that means, but I’m assuming that Barry created the antidote to fit this final version of the drug, right?”

Felicity looked over at Barry who confirmed it with a nod. Okay, so that meant that she couldn’t try the possible antidote herself.

“I’ll do it,” Roy stepped up immediately.

“Roy, you don’t have to do this,” Felicity said, looking at her beta. She could feel his need to help and she didn’t want him to do something that he might regret later.

“I’m not going to change my mind, Felicity,” Roy told her, most likely sensing her reluctance. “If this cure works, I want to take it. I never wanted to be a hybrid… I never wanted to struggle with the bloodlust. It’s still new for me and I could get better, but I want to be a wolf. It’s the right thing to do.”

“What are the risks with this thing?” Thea wondered, her hand reaching out for Roy’s. Felicity watched as the younger Queen sibling laced her fingers with her mate, showing him that she was supporting him.

“I...don’t know,” Barry admitted. “The worst thing that can happen is that his blood clots or rejects the serum. You might get weakened momentarily, but considering that you’re a hybrid, you should be fine with almost anything if you get enough rest.”

“And if it works?” Oliver pressed.

“Then Roy would just go back to being a werewolf once the normal cells get the hybrid-gene out and his immune system kicks in,” Barry explained.

Silence filled the room again. Felicity crossed her arms, averting her eyes momentarily from Barry and the vial he was holding. Could this be it? Could this be a working cure against hybrids? She felt Oliver shifting next to her and she knew what must be going through his mind as well. They were all worried about the results. If the cure worked, then they had a chance to become equal to Slade. He hadn’t been a supernatural being before he was injected with mirakuru. Essentially, that meant that once injected with the cure, he would become human once again. Of course, the man had had military training and Oliver had shared stories about how he had trained with him on Lian Yu. That meant that Slade would still be a skilled fighter.

“I’ll do it,” Roy repeated. Felicity looked up at him and he nodded at her. He knew what he was doing; he knew the risks, and he was willing to take them. “I’ll do it.”

Together, they set everything up. Barry prepared the shot while Tommy and Diggle made sure that Roy was securely strapped to the medical table. Thea sat next to Roy, holding his hand as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear. Felicity wasn’t listening in, but she could see that the younger Queen sibling’s voice was calming the young man. Oliver was hovering nearby, holding another vial containing the sedative that they had used to control Roy the last time when he had nearly lost it. There was no way to know what the instant reaction to the cure would be, but they had to make sure that everyone else in the Foundry was safe. Felicity bit her lip as she walked over to Roy. He was sweating slightly and she reached down, putting her cool hand on his forehead.

“You’ll be okay,” she said, not knowing whether she was trying to assure him or herself.

Roy breathed out through his nose, huffing as he blinked up at her. “I hate needles,” he told her.

“Me too,” Felicity said, not being able to keep her lips from twitching up into a small smile. Leave it to Roy to try and make the situation a bit easier by joking about his fear of needles.

“Ready, Roy?” Barry wondered, walking up to the medical table. Felicity kept her hand on Roy’s forehead and Thea remained by her mate’s side, holding his hand. Oliver walked up to stand behind Felicity and just feeling him standing there made her breathe a little easier. His support washed over her and she inhaled deeply, calming as Barry waited for Roy’s reply.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Roy said, jaw clenching.

Barry nodded, cleaning Roy’s skin at his shoulder with an antiseptic wipe. Roy looked up at Felicity, swallowing thickly and she tried to smile at him, offering him her support. He took a shaky breath and then glanced to Thea, locking eyes with her. Felicity could feel the love radiating from them both. She didn’t step away though, not even when Barry finally pierced Roy’s skin with the needle and injected him with the substance.

A beat passed. A second and then another.

Roy’s eyes widened for a moment as he let out a low gasp. Felicity focused on listening to his breathing that momentarily stuttered. His heart was still beating, although a bit faster. Then, his eyes slowly fluttered shut.

Felicity lifted her hand from Roy’s forehead, taking a small step back from the medical table. She looked at the heart monitor that they had connected him to. His heartbeat was steady. Felicity felt Oliver’s warm hand wrap around her elbow and he gently tugged her back, into his chest. She tried to keep herself calm as she waited patiently, eyes darting from Roy’s sleeping form to the monitor and back again. Thea was still holding his hand, her head coming to rest next to his as she started whispering into his ear.

“ _I’m here. You’re going to be okay. I love you._ ”

A few more seconds passed and finally, _finally_ , Roy’s eyes started opening again. Felicity took a step forward instantly, not sure what to expect. For a moment, she was preparing herself to speed around the table and pull Thea back, but Roy remained calm on the table, blinking a few times. His irises were golden, but there were no blackened veins around his eyes, or fangs extracting. Felicity sniffed the air, a move that made Oliver’s grip on her elbow tighten and she was shocked when she realized that there was a different scent coming from Roy.

“It… It worked,” she said, eyes widening as she turned to look at Oliver. He instantly let go of her and she hurried up to the table where Roy remained perfectly still. She leaned down, pressing her nose against his chest as she took another deep breath. “It’s working,” she said. “Your old scent… The wolf-scent is returning.”

“I can feel it,” Roy said, swallowing as he breathed out a shaky breath, eyes filling with tears. “It’s like a tingling feeling in my entire body. I can’t explain it…”

“It’s the cure isolating the hybrid-gene,” Barry smiled. “It really is working.”

Felicity turned to look at Oliver again, a look of wonder on his face. He met her gaze and she saw something flash in his eyes; something that she wasn’t quite able to catch. She would have to talk to him when they were alone, but this was a breakthrough. They had something that Slade didn’t know about. They had a cure and that meant that they might be able to finally get ahead of Slade and his devious plans.

Felicity couldn’t help the hopeful smile that broke out on her face. She knew it was too soon to know for sure how things would end. Slade had had years to set his plans in motion after all… But she knew that as long as they fought together, they would be able to defeat him. There were still things nagging inside of her, like the memories that had been coming back to her stronger than before. She had to talk to Oliver about them, but for now, she simply stepped into his arms, needing to feel his warmth.

Oliver didn’t miss a beat, his arms and scent instantly surrounding her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Barry is a cockblock and Roy was cured. No, it was never my intention to keep Roy a hybrid for long, but if you have any other questions in regards to that part, feel free to ask them. I suppose this chapter was kind of slow too (and a bit shorter), but I promise you guys that with the chapters that are coming up (I am writing them now!), you're going to be grateful for the slow pace of these past two.
> 
> Also, about the Q&A for Hunted. After chapter 32 has been posted (the next one which I am currently working on) I will be accepting questions on Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666) and Tumblr (author123456). It can be anything related to this fic; thoughts and questions you've had and whatever else. It can also be general things about my thoughts on something regarding Olicity. When I've gathered the questions, I'll most likely end up making a video of myself answering them, unless you guys want me to post a MAJOR and elaborate Q&A post on Tumblr? Thoughts? :) If, however, you have burning questions that need answering regarding this particular chapter, feel free to comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! :) You guys can always find me on Tumblr and Twitter.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story and me. You guys have no idea how much it means to me. Lots of love for all of you. Stay safe. Until next time. xx
> 
> Thank you so much for


	32. The Pulling of The Thread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More things are falling into place as the team prepares for Slade's inevitable attack. A close call brings back old allies and Felicity convinces one of them to face their past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for disappearing for so long guys! I'm afraid that this chapter is pretty similar to the last one in terms of it being yet another build-up for the grand finale. Originally, this chapter was supposed to have a few more scenes, but I decided to split the chapter in two. That's why I changed the chapter name to this one too... Either way, I won't be wasting your time with a bunch of explanations. I'll just say that this story now officially has two chapters and an epilogue left. The next chapter will be filled with action and give you guys the final plot twist that I'm sure no one has been expecting... For now though, enjoy this chapter and remember that I haven't had time to double-check the spelling and whatnot. Thank you for being patient. xx

**Hunted**

**Chapter 32: The Pulling of The Thread**

 

The street was silent as Oliver made his way across it. No cars were in sight, the people in the apartment building having gone to sleep hours ago. It was raining again tonight and Oliver was almost thankful for it. There hadn’t been any incidents tonight. He and Roy had taken down two vampires who had tried to get their hands on an unsuspecting man in an alley, but other than that, not much had happened.

These past two weeks Oliver had been going out on the street together with Roy. Felicity had joined them the first couple of days in order to make sure that Roy would be fine after having taken the cure, although once they saw that he was doing well, she retreated back to the Foundry. Roy had also been monitored by Barry for twenty-four hours in order to determine that the cure had really worked. As soon as Barry confirmed that Roy was indeed fully cured of hybridism, he teleported back to Central City. He was going to create more shots of the cure and implement them in Oliver’s arrows as well as the special-made bullets that Felicity had manufactured.

Oliver sighed to himself, his thoughts instantly returning to his mate. He had been thinking a lot about Felicity these past two weeks. Ever since Barry had successfully created a cure against hybridism, he had wondered to himself whether or not Felicity would want to take the cure. Just like Roy, she had been turned into a hybrid against her will. It had never been her choice and to Oliver, it only seemed logical that she would want to return to being a wolf. The thing was, he would have talked to her about it in order to hear her thoughts on the matter, but since the creation of the cure, Felicity had become quiet. Yes, she still spoke to them about missions and whatnot else, although Oliver could feel that she was shielding herself, even from him. He was certain that it wasn’t anything personal against him. It was just that she wasn’t ready to share what she felt. Oliver knew that she needed to clear her own mind and make a decision for herself before she spoke to him about it and he was going to give her that time.

The only problem he had with her not speaking to him about it was that Felicity hadn’t been feeling well physically lately either. Oliver suspected that it had to do with her mentally trying to block him from picking up on her feelings. Tonight, she had stayed back and not come down to the Foundry at all, which only worried Oliver. If she wanted to stay back because she thought the Foundry was crowded, he wouldn’t have blamed her. However, just the fact that she had woken up feeling feverish and looking as if she had caught the flu or something made Oliver concerned. He was going to talk to her tonight and try to see exactly what it was that was weighing down on her. Oliver made his way up the stairs to Felicity’s floor. Thea and Roy had decided to stay in the mansion tonight. Oliver had protested at first, but Thea had persisted and told him that she didn’t think Slade would attack the same place twice. Coming back to the mansion after weeks, making that his next appearance would without a doubt be highly anticlimactic.

Or at least that was the way that Thea had put it.

A breath fell from Oliver’s lips once more as he unlocked the door to Felicity’s apartment, using the key that she had supplied him with. He stepped inside, removed his jacket and hung it up by the door so that it could dry. He kicked off his shoes, not wanting to dirty the floor with their sogginess and then, he made his way to her bedroom.

Felicity was laying on her side, hugging the pillow that he normally slept on tightly to her chest. The comforter rested around her lower body and he recognized the shirt that she was wearing as his own. Oliver looked at her for just a moment, trying to figure out if she was sleeping or not. The sight of her blinking a few times made it clear that she was just resting.

“Felicity?” he murmured, but she didn’t move. Oliver removed his shirt and chucked off his pants, letting them to the floor. He made his way onto the bed, sliding in under the covers. Moving closer to Felicity, he wrapped his arm around her and she adjusted herself accordingly, lifting her head so that he could put his arm underneath it. She offered him the pillow and he took it, placing it under his head, but he didn’t quite lay down yet. Instead, he leaned into her and pressed his lips against her temple. Felicity sighed against him, her hands tightening their grip on his hand that rested on her stomach.

“You okay?” he asked, lips ghosting over her heated cheek.

“Better now,” Felicity told him. She lifted his hand to her lips, kissing the rough fingertips gently. They settled down for a moment, not speaking. He could feel the way that she was slowly letting him in again; the small cracks in the wall that she had put up around herself letting her light through.

“You’ve been distant lately,” he said after a moment. “Is there anything else going on that I don’t know about?”

Felicity breathed slowly, her chest moving up and down as she seemed to gather her thoughts. “Ever since Slade revealed himself as the Master, my memories have been coming back,” she told him.

“You mean… From when you were turned?” Oliver frowned. Felicity moved so that she could turn into him and meet his eyes.

“Yes,” she confirmed, her hand resting against his chest. “I think the compulsion he put me under was fixed so that once he finally did reveal himself, it would all start coming back. That was why I didn’t get everything back when I used Nyssa’s serum. It’s like your mom and Walter. They didn’t know they had met Slade until after he finally attacked in the mansion. It wasn’t until then that their memories started coming back.”

“What do you remember?” Oliver wondered. His thumb stroked over her skin. He tried to give her all the comfort he could.

“Just that my memories were corrupted...that he altered some of them in order for me to be more confused,” she shared. “The first time we properly talked about how I was captured, I lied to you. Do you remember?”

Oliver thought back to the time she had talked about her captivity. It was almost two years ago since they had first met and since then, they had been through so much together. He remembered the first time she had mentioned how she had been captured. She had mentioned something about being taken after a club visit, but later, she had talked about being with a pack. Oliver found himself frowning, understanding what was going through her mind now. She _had_ lied, or she had been compelled to do so. If Slade’s compulsion went as far to manipulating her memories and making her question herself once they returned, Oliver knew that he couldn’t be upset with her. Perhaps he would have questioned it all those months ago, when he had still been reluctant to trust her. If he was still the person he had been back then, then maybe he would have kicked her out. He would have looked for any reason to get her as far away from himself as possible.

The thing was, Oliver had known all along, even back then that there was something Felicity was hiding. When she had first mentioned the club she had supposedly been kidnapped from, Oliver hadn’t trusted her at all. Later, when she had shared how her whole pack had been murdered, including an innocent little boy, Oliver had heard the truth in her voice. He hadn’t even thought about her stories didn’t match up; he had just felt it in his heart that he had to believe her.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Oliver told her. He reached up and cradled her cheek with his hand. The pad of his thumb brushed over the apple of her cheek. “What you lied about back then, doesn’t matter anymore. We have gone through too much to dwell on what you said after Slade got into your head.”

Felicity’s eyes filled with tears, her lower lip trembling. “But, Oliver,” she breathed out. “What else could he have corrupted inside of me?”

“Felicity,” Oliver gently pressed his forehead against hers. “We all have a little darkness inside of us. You, though? You have one of the purest hearts and intentions that I have ever seen in a person. I have no doubt in my mind that you will fight and overcome whatever Slade has done or will try to do in the future.”

“All the innocent people who died because of the Count. Everyone I’ve failed to protect… My old pack, my family…” Felicity trailed off.

“We will get them the justice they deserve once we stop Slade,” Oliver promised. “He’ll regret everything he has ever done to us.”

Felicity looked at him, her fingers brushing against his cheek. “I really love you, Oliver,” she told him, sounding a little breathless. “I love you so much that sometimes it scares me.”

Oliver leaned down and smiled against her soft lips. He managed to roll them over without breaking the kiss. His tongue traced her lips and Felicity let out a happy sigh, opening her mouth up to him. Deepening the embrace further, Oliver shifted a little so that he could settle more comfortably between her legs. His hands moved over her bare legs, tracing her skin until he reached underneath the sleep shirt that she wore. He paused when he reached for her panties, only to come up empty. Opening his eyes, he blinked down at her and saw her smiling softly at him. He grinned, kissing her again, this time a bit more urgent to get things going. He hadn’t had her in ages, it felt like, and he needed to have her clenching and dripping around his hard length.

Felicity tilted her head back when Oliver nipped at her neck, pulling the shirt down a bit to expose more of her soft skin. His name fell from her lips in a low sigh and instinctively, his hips pressed against hers. Nowadays, it never took him long to get going when it came to Felicity. It was ridiculous, really, how hot and hard he would with just a single look she sent his way. Oliver bit down on her shoulder, his tongue soothing the sting away as he mentally expressed what he wanted tonight. Felicity’s response was immediate. Her hands reached down and started tugging at the material that was still covering his thick cock. Pushing his clothes down and away, she hooked her legs around his waist to pull him closer. Oliver reached over to the desk and grabbed for a condom on the nightstand, popping himself up quickly on his forearm. He tore the foil pack with his teeth and gazed down at Felicity when he heard her groan as she watched him roll the condom on. She wiggled beneath him, lifting the shirt she wore enough so that she would be bared to him. He could see her flushed and swollen pussy dripping with excitement.

“Fuck,” he muttered, more to himself than anything else. He really needed to get a grip before he came all over her without even being inside of her yet.

“We will if you get a move on,” Felicity breathed out, eyes glinting.

Oliver couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. Positioning himself at her entrance, he pressed forward enough so that the throbbing head of his cock would be enveloped in her heat. He stayed still for just a moment, enjoying the way that Felicity squirmed beneath him, trying to pull him in closer. A grin fell over his face again when her eyes flashed gold and her nails dug into his skin.

“Oliver,” she said his name as a warning.

He took another second and then pulled back. A sound of protest escaped Felicity, but it wasn’t long before he hooked her legs over his forearms. He lifted her a bit, finding the perfect angle to slide into her with one quick and hard stroke. Felicity gasped loudly and her eyes widened before they shut again. Oliver could feel her inner walls fluttering around him, a telltale sign of her impending orgasm. He was just as worked up as she was, days of not being with her making him reach his tipping point sooner than he would have liked. Oliver was adamant to hold off on his own release until he had gotten Felicity off, though. He loved watching her come, especially from this position. Her legs were still hooked around him, his hands on her waist, lifting her ass so that he could fuck into her faster. She was getting closer to the edge if her moans were any indication. He could feel her sopping wet all around him and he wished more than anything that they had just gone bare tonight. The need to feel her was intense, but he knew that with all the times they had been careless before, they couldn’t afford not to use protection tonight. For a second, images of a life in the future with Felicity flashed before his eyes. Seeing her standing in his family home dressed up in a gown at a party, her stomach swollen with their child, rings glittering on her left ring finger as she rested it over the bump. There was a happy smile on her face as she ran her hands over her belly.

Oliver swallowed, his eyes blinking as his chest tightened with the feeling of want that only grew at the scenario that he had imagined. There was so much _want._

In a quick move, Oliver changed their positions, his forearms coming to rest next to Felicity’s head. She looked at him intently, her lips parted and mouth open in a small ‘o’ before her arms banded around him. Oliver kept moving inside of her, but now, it was much slower. He had to make her feel it; he had to let her know. Felicity’s face buried in the crook of his neck and Oliver continued with the languid pace he had set until he felt her sharp fangs on his skin.

‘ _Yes,’_ his mind hissed as his mouth fell open. With his eyes shut tightly, Oliver tilted his head to the side just so that she could get a better angle. Felicity’s canines pierced his skin and Oliver’s hips stuttered for a second before picking up the pace again. As she drew blood from him, sucking and licking at his throat, Oliver kept pounding into her tightness. A guttural groan left him when she finally clamped down on him, her clenching sending him into his own release. He pushed into her, spilling into the condom, trying to prolong both their orgasms with small, jerky, twists. There was sweat dripping down his back and beading on his forehead. Felicity’s skin was covered in a sheen of its own, but Oliver couldn’t help but dart his tongue out and taste her. He could feel the pull of her fangs as she continued to feed on him for a few more seconds and as his breathing finally calmed down. Felicity pulled back, her tongue touching the wounds she had made on his neck. Oliver opened his eyes slowly, turning to look at her and nuzzle against her. He could feel her smile against his shoulder where she had buried her face. Reaching up, Oliver gently stroked over her hair. Felicity finally looked at him, eyes glowing for a second before returning to her brilliant blue hue. Oliver couldn’t help but grin at her, even when he noticed the fullness of her lips and the way that they looked painted red due to her feeding.

Lifting a hand to her mouth, Felicity pricked her finger with her fangs. She raised it to him in an offering and Oliver’s mouth covered the tip of it, licking up the drop of blood that she had given him. He sucked once, the metallic tang filling his mouth. Immediately, he felt the small amount of blood she had given him stitch up the bite mark on his neck. One day, when they didn’t have to worry about an impending threat, he wanted her to mark him. He wanted to see the bite mark, watch it for days as it purpled up and healed on its own.

Oliver released her finger and leaned down, pouring every possessive emotion he was feeling into a kiss. Felicity responded with the same fervor, holding onto him tightly. He could feel her emotions radiating from her and he kept his lips on hers, loving the feeling of just kissing her lazily. In that moment, he didn’t want to think about anything other than the two of them. Everything else could wait until morning.

-§-

Things had been picking up these last couple of nights. Oliver knew that everyone in the Foundry was feeling it. It was enough that Felicity would tense every time they left Queen Consolidated or the apartment together. Oliver could see it whenever her eyes darted around, taking in their surroundings. Usually, her eyes would shift to gold as she used her hybrid hearing to make sure that they weren’t being followed. Oliver would hold her hand as they made their way to his car and then proceeded to leave for Verdant.

There, Tommy, Thea and Roy would usually already be waiting. The three of them used the club as their cover, working there to ensure that they would be close to the Foundry at all times during the night. Since Roy had been cured, Oliver had been reluctant to let him come along on missions because he wanted to make sure that the younger man was one hundred percent ready for whatever the night brought them. To be honest, Oliver would have expected more protesting from Roy, but it seemed as if he was more than happy to stay with Thea in order to keep her protected. Tommy was still struggling with keeping things from Laurel, but fortunately, she was busy planning their wedding with her mother so she didn’t ask as many questions anymore about where he was at night. Besides, managing Verdant was more or less a night job and Laurel was sensible enough to know that Tommy would be kept busy there. Oliver knew that his friend spent most of his days with his fiancée anyways, and Laurel had taken up shorter hours at her office in order to spend more time with Tommy. Of course, that normally meant that Tommy had to give his input on the things that Laurel and her mother had picked out for the ceremony. Whenever that happened, spending time with Tommy was quite entertaining.

“One of these days, I’m just going to grab her and elope,” Tommy had complained one night in the Foundry. “I can’t wait until this is all over so that I can just go on and marry the woman. Wedding planning is exhausting!”

Oliver had looked over at Diggle, who snickered, and Felicity, who covered her mouth with her hand in order to hide her amusement. She had glanced at him then, meeting his eyes and briefly, he hoped that she had been able to pick up on the silent promise that he had tried to make. When her eyes had brightened significantly, he knew that she had sensed his thoughts.

“That’s one thing I never thought I would hear coming out of Tommy Merlyn’s mouth,” Thea had quipped.

“Oh, Thea,” Tommy had sighed. “We might not all get to have werewolf soulmates, but trust me when I tell you that some women are worth being tied down to.”

Roy had snorted, but before he had been able to say anything, Oliver had sent him a pointed look. He didn’t need to hear any innuendos coming from the guy who was dating his sister. Besides, Roy and Thea were probably as permanent as him and Felicity were. Either way, Roy had caught on to what he had been trying to say and quickly distracted himself with punching a dummy.

Oliver had thought about shutting the club down, but for now, it gave Tommy a good cover with Laurel, so he decided to keep opening it. Either way, he was busy most nights, going out on the street with Diggle as his backup and Felicity on the comms. It felt like the first couple of months when Felicity would monitor them and help them through their missions, but there was a better flow between them now. Before, Oliver had restricted himself due to his hate against the Dark Ones. Now that he knew and loved Felicity, he listened to every instruction she gave and made choices based on their mutual trust. They worked as a well-oiled machine and for that, Oliver was glad.

Tonight was different, though. Diggle had been forced to catch up with Lyla’s division on A.R.G.U.S. regarding something. The older man had apparently been working on something with his ex-wife-slash-girlfriend that he couldn’t share with the rest of the team until he had more information. Oliver had complete faith in Diggle and Lyla, so he didn’t question it when Diggle had asked for a few days off so that he could visit A.R.G.U.S. With Diggle gone and Roy busy guarding Thea, Oliver found himself alone on patrol with Felicity in his ear. She was telling him where to go, which places to check up on and what areas to avoid. There was no need for unnecessary risks tonight.

They had been discussing whether or not to go to Queen Consolidated in the morning when Oliver heard a low growl. Turning quickly, he raised his bow and aimed it at the creature that had approached. From the darkness, seven hybrids crawled toward him on all fours. They were big, crouching on their hind legs as if getting ready to pounce on him. Felicity was telling him to get out of there because there was no way that he would be able to take them all down without getting hurt. Oliver calculated the risks and realized the same thing. He had taken down several vampires and werewolves at the same time before, but these hybrids were different. Their eyes were bloodshot and their mouths were salivating and foaming. They were rabid. He had a couple of arrows with sedatives prepared, thanks to Felicity, but he knew that the second he fired a shot, the others would be jumping on him to try and tear him apart.

_Unless…_

Oliver watched the monsters as they slowly crept closer. Even though they seemed out of control, they weren’t jumping him yet, which meant that they must have been compelled to follow orders: _Slade’s orders_. There was no way in hell that Slade would give up the chance to kill Oliver on his own, and that meant that these hybrids had been sent to make a point of some sort. It must be Slade’s way of ensuring that Oliver didn’t forget about his impending threat.

“ _Oliver, get out or I’m coming in!_ ” Felicity said, most likely through gritted teeth if the sound of her voice was any indication. Oliver breathed out slowly and took a small step backward, bow and arrow still nocked and ready. The moved seemed to trigger the hybrids, who growled at him and then pounced. He shot down one of them with the tranquilizer he had with him. They had thought about having him carry the cure around, but they couldn’t risk Slade getting the upper hand again. The cure was the only thing they had going for them, the only advantage, and they just couldn’t risk losing that.

The hybrid went down quickly, but the others were still on to him. Oliver shot out his grappling hook and swung over to the other building, but the hybrids followed, jumping the distance and surrounding him on all sides. _Six against one_ , not entirely the fairest of odds. Oliver reached down to the holster strapped to his thigh, taking out the small throwing tranqs. One of the hybrids attacked suddenly and Oliver lowered himself down, sweeping his leg underneath the monster’s feet, knocking it off balance. At the same time, he threw the darts at two other attackers. The moment he stood, he was forced to block another attack. The hybrid’s claws slashed over his forearm and Oliver let out a grunt before kicking the creature straight in the chest, trying to give himself some fighting room.

“Felicity-”

His voice was cut off when the biggest hybrid grabbed him around the throat. Tears pricked Oliver’s eyes at the lack of air to his lungs and he struggled against the monster who lifted him off the ground. The wound on his arm was bleeding, making it more difficult to get a grip on the creature; his fingers were slippery and there wasn’t anything to hold on to other than the monster’s hand. A slow, creepy smile appeared on the hybrid’s face and Oliver wondered whether he had been wrong after all. Maybe Slade didn’t mind one of his minions killing Oliver, as long as he died in the end.

He could hear Felicity shuffling inside the Foundry in his ear, the scraping of her chair against the hard floor a sign that she had gotten up. The sound was cut off soon enough and Oliver knew that Felicity must have left the Foundry. She was on her way to him, but even though she wasn’t more than ten minutes away, he knew that she wouldn’t make it in time. The future he had been imagining with her, the rings and the soft swell of her stomach… The house on the beach and the happiness radiating from her… He saw it all again. When he closed his eyes, it only got clearer. Ever so slowly, his eyelids started feeling heavier. The already weak grip he had on the monster’s hand slackened and he felt himself going limb. There was no air; there was nothing.

Only Felicity and the thoughts of what they could have had.

And then he was breathing again.

Oliver gasped, eyes wide as he fell to the ground. His vision was still blurry as he blinked his eyes open, trying to focus on what was happening around him. The hybrid that had been squeezing the life out of him was on the ground, its head rolling away from the body that had crumbled. As if decapitating the monster hadn’t been enough, the thing had a white stake sticking out of its chest; _white oak._

“Ollie? Are you okay?” He felt gentle hands on him and looked up at the blonde who stared down at him, eyes hidden behind a black leather mask.

“Sara?” he croaked, looking past her to see Nyssa there as well, fighting two hybrids at once. There was a smirk on the huntress’ face as she fought off the monsters and Oliver could do nothing else but stare. How had they known to come? Had they already been on their way?

“Oliver!” he heard another voice and his heart sped up as he took in Felicity, running fast as she leaped over from the other building. In mid-jump, her clothes tore from her body and she landed as the beautiful white wolf he knew she had inside of her. With golden eyes, she growled at another hybrid that had been approaching him and Sara. More hybrids must have been drawn to the fight while Oliver had been borderline unconscious. Felicity growled again, her jaws snapping at the monster who had dared to threaten them. Then, she jumped again, her paw coming down on the creature, clawing a long red gash over its torso. The monster howled in pain, but Felicity took a few steps back again, standing in front of Oliver and Sara, who had gotten up once she had made sure that Oliver was going to be fine.

The fight ended quickly after that. Sara and Nyssa didn’t have any reservations about killing the monsters, but Oliver could see that Felicity had taken a defensive stance against them. She evaded and circled, kept them away from him without killing them. It didn’t mean that she didn’t do them any harm though. Oliver saw how in the end, the hybrids cowered away and the few who had been left standing ran off without looking back. Nyssa and Sara stood together, breathing heavily as they once again approached Oliver and Felicity. Oliver looked at his mate as she turned into him, nuzzling against his face as her tongue darted out to lick at his face. He knew what she was asking.

“I’m okay,” he assured her, his fingers finding purchase in her white pelt. “I’m safe now.”

A low whimper fell from Felicity again and she sniffed the air before lowering her head to nose at the wound on his arm.

“It’s nothing,” Oliver insisted, running his fingers through her fur. “I’ll be fine once we patch me up. I promise, Felicity.”

A low snicker brought him out of his quiet reassuring and he looked over at Sara and Nyssa. Sara had raised a questioning eyebrow at him, but Nyssa’s smirk was without a doubt a knowing one. He knew that the display of affection between him and Felicity would be something discussed later, but for now, it could wait. There were more pressing things at hand.

“What are you guys doing here?” Oliver wondered, looking between the two huntresses.

Sara’s lips turned up into a small smile. “We figured you guys might need some help,” she said with a shrug, as if that explained it all.

-§-

Felicity was pacing, and she knew it. In fact, she had almost laughed at one point because she had realized how much her actions at the moment were like Oliver’s. Normally, he was the one pacing in the Foundry. Now though, he was busy being patched up by Sara who had offered to help as soon as Felicity had realized that her hands were trembling too much to bandage her mate up. It was the adrenaline and the shock wearing off, Felicity figured. She had gotten too close to losing Oliver tonight and it wasn’t going to happen again.

Sara and Nyssa arriving when they did had been nothing more than a happy coincidence. While Sara cleaned and wrapped Oliver’s wound, Felicity went on a tangent explaining how she had contacted Sara after locating them.

“Honestly, there wasn’t much locating done,” Felicity admitted. “I’ve kind of been keeping an eye on Nanda Parbat and _you,”_ she said, looking pointedly at Sara, “since you left us last time.”

She could feel Oliver’s eyes on her as she shared that she had sent a message to Sara regarding the upcoming threat. They had discussed it together once, whether they should look for help in every place that they could. While Oliver had been reluctant to involve the League, Felicity trusted both Sara and Nyssa.

“It’s kind of like A.R.G.U.S., Oliver,” she said. “We might not trust Amanda Waller, but Lyla’s division is clean.”

Oliver only nodded absentmindedly. He hummed and Felicity could tell that her decision to move forward with contacting Sara wasn’t bothering him.

“I have thirty League members serving directly under me,” Nyssa informed them. “They are hiding here in the city, awaiting my signal to mobilize and strike against the hybrids.”

“Can they be trusted?” Oliver wondered, glancing toward Sara.

The other blonde nodded in confirmation before Nyssa continued, “They are all volunteers. My father refused to get involved and quite frankly, I am glad that he has decided to keep himself away from this battle. I believe something in Gotham caught his attention.”

Felicity let out a small sound, remembering some articles she had skimmed over during breakfast a couple of weeks ago. She had been distracted by Oliver and his talented hands shortly after, so she had completely forgotten about it. Although, she supposed that once everything with Slade was over and done with, she wouldn’t mind looking up what that rumored big bat in Gotham was all about.

“So the ones that came to help us serve under you,” Oliver said to Nyssa, giving Felicity a questioning glance. She was certain that he had felt her momentary spike of arousal at the memory of what his breakfast had been that morning when he had interrupted her reading. Felicity lowered her eyes, knowing that her feelings weren’t exactly being hidden.

“Indeed, they do,” Nyssa said, carefully eyeing Oliver. “My men are willing to die for this cause if I order it.” Felicity moved toward her mate slowly, reaching out for him when Sara finished wrapping his wound. Oliver’s warm hand wrapped gently around hers and he squeezed it, trying to show her that he was fine. A part of Felicity still wanted to heal him though. She turned to look at Nyssa, still holding on to Oliver’s hand.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” she told the assassin. “A friend of ours has been able to create a cure against the mirakuru that Slade has been using to turn the hybrids.”

“And Felicity created arrows that could contain the cure,” Oliver continued. “Not all of the hybrids are evil. Some of them were wolves turned against their will. They are forced to follow Slade’s orders due to the sire bond that was created when they were turned.”

“How do we work around that then?” Sara questioned. Felicity was sure that she understood that they didn’t want to actually kill all the hybrids.

“Since some of them might be dangerous, like blood wolves or lethalis shifters, I suggested to Barry that he add a sedative in the cure. That means that one shot should incapacitate the creature long enough for us to be able to tie them up at least,” Felicity told them. “They would be useless to Slade and we wouldn’t have to kill them.”

“You are too kind, little wolf,” Nyssa mused. “Although, since you were the one to invite us to this fight, I presume we have no choice but to follow your orders.”

Felicity watched as the assassin offered her a small smirk. It seemed as if she had earned Nyssa’s respect. With a curt nod to Nyssa, the smirk on the dark haired beauty widened. Felicity understood that Nyssa and Sara had no problems with killing the Dark Ones if necessary, but with the upcoming battle, she still wanted to keep the number of casualties as low as possible. There was no need for unnecessary killing on their part. She had no doubt in her mind that Slade’s hybrids wouldn’t be holding back either. There was no point to have two sides out looking for blood.

Still, that was something they could discuss more in the morning. Currently, she was still running high on adrenaline as she thought about how close Oliver had come to death tonight. She had felt the clenching in her heart, heard the pain in his voice when he had called out her name...

Oliver must have sensed her thoughts because his hand wound around hers and he squeezed gently. Felicity turned toward him, head lowered as she leaned in close, the same way that she had done when she had been a wolf. She felt a bit calmer now than she had before and now that she could focus, she smelled the blood that must slowly be seeping through Oliver’s bandages. Without thinking, she extracted her claws and dug them into her palm. She opened her hand up in front of Oliver in a silent offering, hoping that he would understand that it would make her feel a lot better if he healed quicker. Oliver’s eyes darkened momentarily before he pulled her hand up to his face. Pressing a kiss to the flat of her palm, he drew in the small amount of blood that she had offered him and then kissed her hand again. Instantly, she relaxed against him, knowing that her blood would work inside his body to help heal him.

It wasn’t until she sagged against him that she realized how silent it had gotten in the Foundry. She looked up and found Nyssa and Sara observing them curiously. There was a knowing look on Nyssa’s face and Felicity could only imagine what the assassin was thinking. Unfortunately for them, Nyssa had never been one to shy away from voicing her thoughts and her opinions.

“I always knew that she was your little wolf, Mr. Queen,” she said as her well-known smirk once again made an appearance.

-§-

A couple of days later, Felicity was down in the Foundry again, watching Sara work the salmon ladder. Oliver and Roy were out on patrol and they had taken Nyssa with them to get her accustomed to the city again. Diggle was still working something with Lyla to help them with Slade and from what he had told Felicity the last time, they were getting close to figuring out whatever it was that had them occupied. Nevertheless, as Felicity watched Sara working out, she couldn’t help but wonder how the other blonde felt about being back in her home city again.

“Have you ever thought about telling your family that you’re alive?” Felicity asked out loud.

_Clang!_

Felicity winced as Sara lost her focus and fell off the ladder with a loud thud. The metal bar slammed against the floor and Sara let out a yelp. She rubbed her backside and Felicity’s mouth dropped open. Damn, she hadn’t expected that reaction. It took Sara a moment before she stood up and looked at Felicity.

“Why would I do that?” she wondered, frowning.

“Don’t you miss them?” Felicity questioned.

“Of course I do,” Sara frowned.

“Then why wouldn’t you tell them that you’re alive?” Felicity watched as several emotions played out on Sara’s face.

“It’s not that easy,” Sara said. “I’m a part of the League. We can’t have those kinds of attachments. If my family knew I was alive, they would never let me go back to Nanda Parbat and I can’t just leave the League.”

“I understand all of that, but Sara, this is your family we’re talking about,” Felicity said. “For seven years now, they’ve thought you dead. I don’t see what harm it would do to make up a story about waking up with memory loss or something and slowly have everything come back to you. Nyssa can be your cover for where you’ve been or something. It would also explain why you wouldn’t want to leave Nyssa and come back to live in Starling City.”

Sara eyed her silently before nodding. “Maybe after we defeat Slade… I want to see my family again, of course, and not just from spying on my father from across the street. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even be able to attend Laurel and Tommy’s wedding.”

“I know it’s not my place, but I just feel like life’s too short not to make the most of it,” Felicity shrugged. “I think it would mean the world to your family to have you back in whatever way they can.”

“I’ll think about it,” Sara nodded again. “Speaking about making the most of things… What’s up with you and Oliver?” Sara raised an eyebrow.

Felicity’s face warmed and her heart jumped in her chest at the mere thought of the man. “We’re mates,” she confirmed, knowing that she didn’t need to say anything else.

“I’m glad that Oliver finally got his head out of his ass,” Sara smiled softly, “and that you’re both happy.”

Felicity grinned back at her friend, loving the easiness between the two of them. “It took us both some time, but we finally ended up on the same page when it comes to our relationship,” Felicity agreed. “With everything that has been happening lately, I feel like I can hardly wait for it all to be over.”

“I feel the same way,” Sara said. “Once we deal with Slade, we’ll all finally be able to move forward with our lives. I’ll see if I can reveal myself to my family, Tommy and Laurel will be able to get married in peace…”

“And Diggle might finally admit to us that he is back together with his ex-wife,” Felicity laughed.

“Perhaps you and Oliver will be able to start a family together too,” Sara said, making Felicity choke on her laughter.

She coughed a couple of times, “Don’t you think that’s jumping a bit too many steps ahead?”

“I’m certain you and Oliver have already discussed the possibility of having kids eventually,” Sara shrugged. “Besides, something tells me that being soul-bonded helps when it comes to skipping steps. The rules of a normal relationship don’t exactly apply to the two of you.”

Felicity knew that she was right, but she didn’t know how to respond. Fortunately, before she had a chance to, Felicity’s computer started beeping, indicating that she had an incoming call from a secure A.R.G.U.S. line. Frowning, she turned to the device and answered the call. Sara came to stand beside her just as the call connected and Diggle appeared on the screen.

“Dig! Hi,” Felicity smiled brightly at the screen. “Is Lyla there with you?”

Diggle looked to the side, somewhere off screen before he turned back to the camera, nodding. A moment later, Lyla came to stand by his side.

“Hi, Felicity,” the woman said, smiling politely.

“What’s up?” Felicity wondered. “Did you guys figure out whatever it was that you were going to figure out?”

“Yes, in a way,” Diggle sighed. “Lyla contacted me about helping us with Slade,” he started explaining. “She asked Amanda Waller for permission to have her division of agents help us with the upcoming conflict. Waller gave it to her, so long as the agents know what they’re getting themselves into.”

“That’s great!” Felicity said.

“There’s more,” Lyla spoke, before Felicity had a chance to say anything else. “Waller offered to help too, but only by sending in a special task force that she formed. They’re called Task Force X.”

“Sounds ominous,” Sara pointed out.

“It is,” Diggle said, looking more tired than ever. “It’s made up from Dark Ones, people with a criminal past. After being apprehended by A.R.G.U.S., Waller gave them a choice: go to prison or help her organization in any capacity that she sees fit.”

“I am guessing they chose the latter,” Felicity muttered.

“They work for A.R.G.U.S., but not willingly. They have an explosive nano-device planted in the base of their neck which ensures that they do what they’re told. If they don’t…”

“Kaboom,” Felicity realized, her eyes widening. “Okay, I don’t exactly enjoy criminals much, but even that sounds a bit too heavy for an organization that technically works for the government.”

“Someone has to get their hands dirty and Waller enjoys it a bit too much, I think,” Lyla said. “Nevertheless, Task Force X will be able to help take in Slade’s hybrids after they have been subdued by Mr. Allen’s antidote.”

“Okay, there’s something you’re not telling us here,” Sara pointed out. “There’s more to all of this.”

“There is,” Diggle agreed, meeting Felicity’s eyes. She could see the conflict in them and as she searched her brain for what she was missing, she quickly realized what it was.

“A.R.G.U.S. has Floyd Lawton,” she said.

“He’s a part of the task force,” Diggle nodded. “I’ve spoken to him and I think he would be willing to help.”

“How do you feel about that?” Felicity wondered, knowing that it couldn’t be easy for Diggle to work with his brother’s killer.

“I feel like there might be more to Lawton than he lets on,” Diggle said. “Besides, we need all the help we can get. I think I can put aside how I feel about Lawton long enough for us to defeat Slade. After that, I’m going to need to have a long conversation with him regarding who hired him to kill my brother.”

A moment of silence passed between them until Lyla spoke again. “Wait,” she said. “Felicity, how did you know that A.R.G.U.S. has Lawton?” The woman was frowning and Felicity offered her a sheepish smile.

“I might have been keeping tabs on everything that you guys do since I learned that your organization exists,” she said. “And you don’t have to bother looking for a bug because you won’t find it. I’m good at what I do.”

Lyla let out a sound that was a cross between disbelief and amusement, “You are quite remarkable, Felicity Smoak.”

Felicity’s mind wandered to another moment in time, when someone else had said something similar and she smiled to herself before responding, “So I’ve been told.”

-§-

Oliver laid on his side, his fingertips trailing over Felicity’s skin slowly as he committed every mark on her body to memory. It was probably the hundredth time he had done so, but something about the silence surrounding them tonight made him feel antsy. Their allies had all gathered in the city and he knew that they were on the cusp of a war that would lead to casualties. He wanted every moment he could get with his soulmate to be burned into his mind. Oliver wasn’t a fool, nor was he ignorant. Ever since Sara and Nyssa had saved his life, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about just how close he had come to dying that night. The mere thought of what that would have meant troubled him. Felicity had been keeping a cool face in front of the others, but Oliver could feel her desperation to touch him every time they came back to their home and tore each other’s clothes off. There hadn’t been a night since then that they hadn’t shared their bodies with one another. They didn’t want to waste their time anymore and with everyone preparing to fight Slade, Oliver knew that things were quickly coming to an end.

“Tommy got Thea and Laurel out of town,” Felicity mumbled lowly. Her hand covered his, her fingers twining with his. “I told him to stay away too until we call him and tell him it’s safe to come back. Sara and Nyssa are hiding out in the clock tower. The rest of Nyssa’s team are… _Somewhere._ Lyla is just waiting for Dig’s call and then she’ll send in Task Force X. We’re ready.”

“Are we?” he asked, not being able to hide his doubt from her. “What if it’s not enough.”

She turned in his arms so that she could face him, covering her naked chest with the comforter. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek gently. Her thumb moved over his skin as she looked down at him while he laid back. “We will be enough,” she told him, her voice filled with conviction. “I love you, and I believe in you. I believe in _us_ and our team. We _will_ be enough.”

Oliver lifted himself up slightly, his hand reaching to cup the back of Felicity’s neck. He pulled her closer, pressing his forehead against hers as he breathed her in. “I love you,” he said, his voice shaking. “I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to you.”

“You won’t have to worry about that,” Felicity said. “You won’t lose me, so you better not have me worry about losing you.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. Oliver responded instantly, opening his mouth to her advances. Her tongue tangled with his and he tightened his grip on her hair, making her moan. The sound vibrated all the way into his chest, making his blood pump faster, traveling south.

“You won’t lose me,” he promised against her lips as he gently pushed her back down onto the bed. Covering her with his body, settling between her legs, Oliver swore to her over and over again, that she would never lose him.

-§-

Felicity had a gut feeling and after everything she had been through, she had learned to listen to that feeling. That was why she had meddled and talked to Sara again about her family. After a long and heartfelt conversation, Sara had finally agreed to meet with Detective Lance. Felicity had talked to Oliver and he had called the man on the secure line as the Arrow. That was how the three of them found themselves standing on a rooftop in the middle of the night, waiting for Sara’s father to show up.

Felicity looked over at the other blonde, who was clutching her staff tightly. She could only imagine how white Sara’s knuckles must be underneath the black leather gloves.

“Are you nervous?” The question slipped from Felicity’s mouth before she could stop it. “I mean, of course you’re nervous. You’re about to reveal the fact that you’ve been alive for the past seven plus something years to your father, who is a cop,” she rambled. Blinking a couple of times, she looked over at Oliver, whose lips twitched up into a small smile. She was glad that someone still found her lack of brain-to-mouth filter amusing.

“Am I making a mistake?” Sara wondered.

“We’re facing a great evil, Sara,” Oliver sighed. “There’s no knowing if we’ll all be alive and… Well, Felicity convinced you once, didn’t she? I’m sure if you tried to chicken out, she’ll come after you and convince you yet again.”

“Okay now, Mr. Arrow,” Felicity shot him a glare. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.” She paused for a moment and then looked back at Sara. “But what he’s saying is true. I’ll most definitely come after you.”

“Considering the computer expert that you are, Ms. Smoak, I’d be worried if you made such a threat against me,” Quentin spoke as he climbed the side-ladder up to the top of the building. Felicity felt Sara tense next to her. The other blonde was in her Canary suit, still wearing her mask which ensured that the detective wouldn’t recognize her. If she wanted to leave without revealing herself, she could. Felicity wouldn’t actually force her to do anything.

“I see you’ve made new friends,” Lance continued, nodding toward Sara. “What is it with you people and leather?”

A laugh escaped Sara and Felicity stood still. The detective tensed, blinking a couple of times as his attention fell solely on the blonde wearing black leather. Felicity could see his jaw clench as his breathing came out a bit heavier. There was a hint of something in the air; Felicity could sense the signs of recognition and confusion from the man.

“Before we discuss our choice of clothing, I would like to share some other things with you, detective,” Felicity said. She stepped toward the man, taking a deep breath. “I don’t want there to be any more secrets between us. If we’re going to be facing this upcoming threat together, you need to know everything.” Her eyes flashed golden and she was surprised to see that Quentin didn’t so much as flinch. Frowning, Felicity paused. “You know about me,” she said and it wasn’t a question. The detective had known about Dark Ones ever since the Undertaking, but Felicity hadn’t shared the fact that she was a wolf with him.

“Ms. Smoak, I’m a detective and a damn good one, if I say so myself… I’ve known about your true nature for a while now,” Lance said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now that we have that out of the way, how about you tell me who your friend here is? Is she the one who was terrorizing the streets a couple of months ago?”

“The Canary is a friend,” Felicity told the man. She could tell by his tone that he didn’t mean anything bad with his words, but she didn’t want Sara to be upset by the way he had summarized what she had been doing before she joined their team. “Actually, I was the one to push for this meeting. With everything that’s been going on, I want you to know that…”

Sara took a small step toward Quentin when Felicity trailed off. The detective looked at the other blonde for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together as he awaited her next move. With shaky fingers, Sara secured her staff to her back and then proceeded to lift her hands to her mask. Felicity watched with bated breath as the other blonde slowly removed her mask from her face, keeping her head downcast. Next, she pulled off the wig she wore to make her hair look a brighter shade of blonde than it was naturally. Sara lifted her head and Felicity could see it on the detective’s face the moment he looked into his daughter’s eyes.

“Hi, daddy,” Sara whispered, sounding unsure and vulnerable in a way that Felicity had never heard before.

Quentin let out a harsh breath. Squinting his eyes, and taking a small step back, he reached for the gun in his holster. Felicity, Oliver and Sara stood still as he raised the gun on his daughter. “You’re not her,” he said, voice shaky. “You’re not my little girl. You’re one of those shapeshifters who has come to mess with my head.” He looked at Felicity, tears in his eyes as he shook his head. “Why would you do this to me? _Why?_ ” he demanded, yelling the words out into the night.

“We wouldn’t, detective,” Oliver replied. His voice was still hidden by the voice-modulator. “We haven’t.”

“Dad, it’s really me,” Sara said, her own voice choked. She took a step toward Lance and when he didn’t move away from him, she took another.

“Prove it!” Lance said, keeping his gun aimed.

“Do you remember, when I was ten?” Sara started slowly. “You bought me that canary that I loved so, so much. It drove mom and Laurel crazy though, and even you hated it after a while…” She sniffled and wiped away the few tears that had fallen down her cheeks. “I knew you did, but you never said anything about it. You were always on my side when mom wanted to get rid of it.” Sara took another breath before continuing, “When I was in high school, I was being bullied and I ended up doing a bunch of things I now regret. I got into trouble and your solution was to have me and Laurel learn self-defense. You wanted us to be able to fight off people who wanted to hurt us… I don’t think I ever thanked you for that, but I do think it saved my life numerous times while I was away.”

Felicity watched as the detective’s face crumbled. “Away?” the man repeated. “You were… You were _dead_.”

“I wasn’t, dad,” Sara said.

“Then where were you for all of these years?” Quentin questioned. “Why didn’t you come home?”

“I wasn’t ready,” Sara told him. “I didn’t want you to see what I’ve become, but… Dad, please. Please forgive me for not coming home sooner.”

The detective looked at her and finally, tears fell from his eyes as he lowered his gun. “My little girl,” he said. “My baby girl.” Felicity watched as Sara closed the distance between herself and her father, embracing the man tightly. They sobbed into one another, holding on for dear life. Felicity looked over at Oliver, only to see that he was facing her. She could tell that he was more relaxed now that Quentin seemed to have accepted the fact that Sara was really who she said she was. She moved toward him and reached for his hand, but she quickly stopped herself. Despite Lance being occupied, she didn’t want to risk revealing that the Arrow was in fact Oliver. It wasn’t her secret to tell, after all.

Oliver seemed to sense her hesitation though, because he reached for her and pulled her in close. Felicity sighed against him, not realizing until now how much she needed to have him close. Beneath the hood, Oliver met her gaze and she saw the curt nod he gave her. Pulling back, Oliver lifted his hands to his hood.

“Stop,” Quentin interrupted him. Felicity watched as Oliver paused, looking at her again.

“We said no more secrets,” Felicity said to Lance.

“Yes, but I don’t need confirmation that the man under the hood is Oliver Queen,” Lance argued. Felicity blinked, as the man shook his head before a smirk appeared on his face. “Detective, remember? I had him figured out a while ago… Especially with how Queen looked at you whenever you were in danger, Ms. Smoak.”

“What difference does it make if I remove this hood or not then?” Oliver asked.

“Plausible deniability, if something were to go wrong,” Lance replied. “It’s a thing,” he added with a shrug.

Felicity looked over at Oliver. She couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face. Oliver reached for her hand and this time, she didn’t hesitate to take it on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter despite the shortness. Sorry for almost killing Oliver... Don't really know how that happened, but it did. Either way, thank you so much for reading and supporting this story. Remember, not many chapters left now and I need all the motivation I can get so leave a word or two and share your thoughts! :) Until next time (which will most definitely be sooner than last time!!!). xx


	33. The Place Where All Ends Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The phone call came just a few days later.
> 
> [READ IMPORTANT NOTE IN THE BEGINNING AND END OF THIS CHAPTER!!!]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with yet another update and this one is massive. Okay, perhaps not a record in length, but definitely when it comes to revelations and plot twists. Also, I want to say that this is sort of the climax of the story, where the big battle finally comes to head. After this, chapter 34 will be the final chapter but it will be followed by an epilogue, which can technically also be viewed as a chapter. Either way, let's focus on this one first and let me tell you something IMPORTANT:
> 
> In this chapter, there is an implication for dubious consent in a sexual situation. There's some confusion regarding the matter and things are unclear as to what actually occurred between the two characters involved. That's why I'm issuing a TRIGGER WARNING just to be safe. The issue will be discussed in the next chapter, once the dust sort of settles.
> 
> Now, please enjoy the chapter! :) xx

**Chapter 33: The Place Where All Ends Meet**

 

The phone call came just a few days later. In truth, it wasn’t so much a phone call, as it was a city-wide broadcast. Oliver and Felicity were in Felicity’s apartment (which was honestly more  _ theirs  _ now than anything), getting ready for dinner when the lights started flickering. It wasn’t even that late yet, but the skies had already started to darken. Felicity had her laptop on, playing light music while Oliver cooked for them. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t.

Oliver looked up at the ceiling, frowning as the light bulb darkened and then turned brighter again. There was something off with the power. He looked over at Felicity, who pulled her robe tighter around herself as she stood up from the chair she had been seated in. She took a few steps toward him, looking up at the peculiar lamp. The bulb burned brighter and brighter and Oliver saw Felicity’s eyes widen for the fraction of a second. Instinct, whether it was his own or hers that had channeled over to him through their mate-bond, coursed through him. Oliver grabbed her, pulling her close and shielding her face just before the power in the lamp became too strong for the bulb. The glass shattered into a million pieces, raining over their kitchen floor, smoke coming out of whatever that was left of it. Oliver glanced down at Felicity, his silent question clear.

“I’m okay,” Felicity confirmed, but a moment later, she turned her attention to her computer. “Good thing this baby wasn’t plugged in, or it might have gotten fried too.”

“What happened?” Oliver asked, wanting to get to the bottom of things. He turned off the stove and removed the pan he had been preparing the food in. Suddenly, he had lost his appetite and he was certain that Felicity wasn’t particularly hungry either.

“Seems to be something wrong with the power,” Felicity said. “The current in the sockets seems a bit stronger than it usually is… Which is probably why the light bulb exploded.”

Oliver stepped around the broken glass and made his way to Felicity’s computer. Lifting the thing, he handed it over to Felicity, who immediately started typing. A minute later, a frown fell upon her face.

“The power plant is having some issues distributing the power throughout the city,” she said. “I hacked into their mainframe, but there must be a manual switch that has been used because I can’t do anything from here to stabilize it.”

Oliver looked at her, his gut telling him that there was more to it. “Let’s go to the living room and turn on the TV,” he suggested. Felicity nodded and together they made their way out of the kitchen. Felicity turned on the television and sat down on the couch, switching to the news channel. The anchor was describing the sudden power surge that had taken out the power in half of Starling City, most specifically in the Glades and nearby areas.

“We have a backup generator in the Foundry. I’ll text Diggle and tell him to get down there,” Oliver said, searching his pocket for his phone. Just as he fished it out, a text message from an unknown number appeared on his screen. At the same time, Felicity’s phone let out a sound as well as her computer, indicating that she had a new message. Oliver turned his attention to his mate and saw that she was already clicking the link that had been sent to her. There was determination on her face as well as something else;  _ worry _ , he recognized.

A live-stream started rolling on the computer screen the moment that the news channel on the TV was hacked as well. The same stream was being broadcast on the TV as on the computer. Oliver looked at the bigger screen, reaching for the remote. He turned the volume up as a masked man stepped out in front of the camera.

“ _ Citizens of Starling City _ ,” the man said. Instantly, the hairs on Oliver’s arms rose because he knew that voice. “ _ I have a message for you all. At midnight tonight, an army of men and women unlike any you have ever seen before will march on the city. They will tear this city apart along with everyone who stands in their way. Those of you who witness the devastation and the  _ truth  _ that the corrupted chairmen of this city have been trying to keep from you, will most likely go mad. The Dark World is at your doorstep, just waiting to be let in. _ ”

Oliver’s stomach churned at Slade’s words. He didn’t need to see his old mentor’s face to know that he was hiding behind the mask. The mask also held a lot of resemblance to the mask Slade had worn when they had been stranded on Lian Yu together. The colors were the same and the design as well.

“ _ Tonight, the future of Starling City will be determined. You have five hours until midnight, so prepare yourselves… And also, a special message to the Arrow… _ ” Slade continued. “ _ You can find the Master at the Starling City power plant. Only you and your lovely blonde friend will be let through the doors. Come alone an hour before the attack, and you might be able to stop it. If we see any policemen outside of the gates, they will be taken down. If we see any civilians outside of the gates, they will be taken down. Only the Arrow and the White Wolf are allowed inside, _ ” Slade said, the anger dripping in his voice. Oliver could see his eye through the mask. The way it flickered from red to yellow due to his barely controlled emotions. “ _ The day of judgment is upon you, Arrow. I will be waiting for you and your sweet love. I’ll serve her head up on a silver plate while my men tear the city you love apart. You and the rest of this wretched city will finally get what they deserve. I’ll have you watch while everything you hold dear falls into darkness, and it isn’t until then, that I’ll kill you too. _ ”

The stream cut off.

Oliver breathed heavily as he stared at the news anchor who was sitting dumbfoundedly, staring with an open mouth at the screen she probably had in front of her. Slade was coming; he had made the first move. The madman had given them his location as well as his entire plan, removing the element of surprise completely. Why had he done that? There must be more to it. It couldn’t be as simple as him and Felicity walking into the power plant and beating Slade in order to stop the siege.

He was torn from his thoughts when Felicity’s warm hand covered his. Lifting his head, he looked into her eyes, swallowing thickly as he saw the raw emotion in hers.

“We have to get to the Foundry,” she told him, her voice quiet. Oliver could tell that she was trying to be rational about it, but her fears were shining through. With the close call that he had had and the two of them having gotten a sense of what it would feel like to lose one another… Oliver understood what she was afraid of. He raised her hand to his mouth, kissing the soft skin of her palm.

“I’ll get the others to meet us there,” he said, raising himself up from the couch that he must have absentmindedly sunken down on while watching Slade on the TV. Felicity stood up as well, but before he could reach for his phone again to send a message to the rest of their team, Felicity threw her arms around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and Oliver wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, holding her close. Felicity pressed her nose into the crook of his neck and he felt her take a harsh breath against his skin.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” A tear fell from her eye, onto his shoulder. Oliver held her even tighter against him, burying his nose in her hair. His hand made contact with her shoulder blades, making sure that he could feel her heart beating against his own chest.

“I love you,” he returned, his own voice full of emotions. “We will beat him, Felicity. I know we will.”

“I know,” she said. “I’ve told you before: I believe in us, in  _ you. _ I just-” she cut herself off and pulled back slightly. Her hands raised to cup his cheeks as she made him look at her, meet her eyes. “I just want you to know. Slade will play games, I know he will. He will try to tear us apart to make us easier targets. Whatever he says, whatever he tries to convince you of… Know that you are mine just as much as I am yours. Know that I love you and that you love me.”

“ _ Felicity _ ,” Oliver sighed, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss wasn’t more than his lips touching hers. There was no teeth clashing, or lip biting or tongues moving against one another. Just his mouth pressed to hers, but it was enough. He pulled away, running his fingers through her blonde locks, searching her eyes and seeing that his message had been conveyed through their bond. “No matter what he tries, there is nothing he can do to make me doubt what we have.”

-§-

“It’s a trap,” Roy said, crossing his arms as they all stood around Felicity. “I say, screw what Slade says and stay to protect the people.”

“Roy,” Felicity sighed, rubbing her temple. “If Oliver and I go, we might be able to stop him before his hybrid even start their attack.”

“If he has them compelled, they might still act out their orders,” Roy argued. “Either way, not all of the hybrids are innocents.”

“Yeah, there must be some rotten eggs in that basket,” Barry interjected, spinning in his chair. Felicity noted how Oliver shot him a look from where he stood leaning against one of the pillars in the Foundry. The moment they had sent Barry a message, he had teleported to the Foundry. While he was a welcome ally, Felicity knew that there was still something lingering there between the scientist and Oliver. Sure, they were friends, but Felicity had still felt the tinge of something coming from Oliver when Barry had gone to embrace her the moment he had arrived.

“We know all of that, which is why we’re going to be using the cure laced with tranquilizers,” Felicity said. “Task Force X and Nyssa’s team of League members will take out as many hybrids as they can. Detective Lance has taken over command of the police force and they will be rounding up the hybrids as fast as they can once they’re cured. Of course, then they’ll no longer be hybrids, exactly, but you get the point.”

“I’ll be fighting alongside Lyla and her division,” Diggle said. “I’ll make sure that Task Force X is doing what they’ve been told to do as well.”

“And I’ll be out there too,” Sara confirmed, looking toward Nyssa who nodded curtly. Felicity looked at the other blonde. Ever since revealing to her father that she was alive, Sara seemed to be a lot lighter. With Laurel out of town, she didn’t have to worry about the safety of her sister either, which was a plus. Now that the detective knew about her, she could fight by her father’s side too, knowing that he would have her back no matter what. It was a nice change to see and Felicity only hoped that once this was all over, that Sara too could find some peace.

“Listen,” Felicity said. “We have approximately three and a half hours to decide how we’re going to play this before Slade’s army comes knocking. Oliver and I  _ will  _ be going to the power plant, there’s no question about that. We’ll both have several vials of the cure with us and if one of us has an opening, we’ll inject Slade. You guys will help the police barricade the city and help with the evacuations.”

“Felicity, you can’t just expect me to accept the fact that you’re going into the lion’s den,” Roy said. “It took everything in me to let Thea leave and I did that knowing that she would be safer out of town than here. You will be facing Slade and I  _ can’t  _ lose my family again!”

“ _ Roy _ ,” Felicity said, standing up from her seat. She walked up to the younger man and put her hand on his shoulder. “You won’t lose me. You won’t lose any of us. We will beat these guys, trust me.”

Roy breathed heavily, staring into her eyes, but she could feel him calming down. It was a full moon out tonight, which was most likely why Slade had chosen this night to attack. The full moon would only serve to make the hybrids stronger. The ones who had been blood wolves before being turned would only become more violent, which meant they would be even deadlier than they normally are. Roy was clearly feeling the effects of the moon as well, but fortunately, he was able to control his wolf a lot better now that he was no longer a hybrid. He was in touch with his emotions, even though Felicity knew that he was hurting because he wouldn’t be able to stay near her. With his mate out of town too, he was most likely restless as well.

“Okay,” he finally said, nodding shortly. “Okay.”

“Hm… I’m guessing that I will be monitoring from the here then, right?” Tommy spoke up, breaking the tense silence that had followed Roy’s agreement. “I’ll be on the comms, making sure that there’s a secure link between you guys.”

“Yes,” Felicity confirmed. “You’ll stay here, where you’ll be safe too. I’ve upped the security systems, which means there’s no way for Slade’s men to break in here even if they tried. Hopefully, they won’t get close enough to do so.”

“Well then, Ms. Smoak,” Tommy said, cracking his knuckles. “We have nothing else to do but wait for the deadline.”

Felicity looked at Oliver, who had clearly been watching her take charge of his team. She could feel the pride radiating inside of him and she knew that they were on the same side when it came to their plan. It had always been about saving the innocent lives in Starling City. It was time for them to do just that.

-§-

Felicity zipped up the black jacket. Pulling her hair back from her face and tying it up, she let out a slow breath. Breathing in again through her nose in order to calm herself down, she looked at the timer on her phone. She and Oliver needed to leave soon if they were going to get to the power plant in time. The others had already left the Foundry, taking their positions with their respective teams all around the city. Quentin had made sure that the police helped with the evacuations from the Glades. They were all working as fast as they could to make the deadline before the hybrids attacked, but Felicity knew it was futile. All she could do was hope that they would make it through.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. Felicity shook her head at herself and opened the bathroom door. Oliver stood on the other side, wearing his Arrow suit. She took him in for a moment and then proceeded to step into his arms. The need she felt for him was unbelievable, but she knew that tomorrow morning, the fate of their city and their lives would be set. She had faith in them.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your moment, but I think you guys need to get to the plant,” Tommy spoke up from behind the computer screens that hid him from their view.

Felicity snorted into Oliver’s neck, although she kept her grip on him firm. “Trying to get rid of us, Tommy?” she wondered.

“Considering that you have to get to Slade in order to save the city, yes,” Tommy deadpanned. “However, if you want to continue with the PDA, feel free to do so for another minute while I throw up into this paper bag that I’m pretty sure contained donuts at some point.”

Oliver and Felicity pulled apart and looked at one another before turning toward Tommy, who blinked a couple of times, staring blankly straight ahead. He stood up abruptly from his chair and held his hands up and away from the computers. “Damn it! I knew the babbling was contagious,” he said shaking his head. Tommy looked over at them and laughter bubbled up inside of Felicity. She couldn’t help the giggle that fell from her lips and Oliver held her just a bit tighter. Felicity felt him shaking a bit, as if he too was chuckling low beneath his breath. She looked over at Tommy, tears in her eyes as her heart swelled with gratitude for the man who had made her laugh when she had no lightness inside of her.

“You are an incredible man, Thomas Merlyn,” she told him.

Tommy smiled before taking his seat at the desk again. “Thanks,” he said. “Now if the two of you will get on with it, I think we have a bad guy to stop.”

-§-

Oliver drove them to the power plant on his Ducati. He had made sure that Felicity held on tight the whole way, glad to keep her close for as long as he could. Once they got to the plant, they wouldn’t have time to seek comfort in one another. Oliver wasn’t entirely sure how it was possible, but his head felt as if it was at a hundred places at the same time as it was focused solely on their task. In a way, he supposed that it was related. If they didn’t manage to beat Slade, if they failed their mission, he could already imagine the devastation that would follow.

Shaking his head lightly, he breathed in slowly. He couldn’t allow himself to think about those things. He couldn’t afford to lose his head over things that might never happen.

He stopped a couple of hundred yards away from the fences. It was a remote enough area outside of the city, but Oliver knew that if they needed to get out, it was better to have the bike at a safe distance from those who might try to sabotage it. After getting off his bike, he helped Felicity down. They took a moment to breathe in the air around them and he could tell from Felicity’s tense shoulders that she was nervous and worried.

Together they made their way down to the plant. Oliver had his bow out and ready, even though he was certain that Slade had made sure there would be no one standing in their way. They reached the fence, and sure enough, the gates were wide open. There didn’t seem to be a living soul in the place. The lights were off though and Oliver could feel that someone was watching them. Felicity nudged him and he glanced at her. She lowered her head in a small nod to the left and Oliver looked up, noticing the small, red, blinking dot in the corner. They  _ were _ being watched, through the security cameras.

Oliver and Felicity made their way inside. Felicity’s eyes turned to gold as she took in their surroundings. Oliver waited for her as she inhaled deeply, trying to get a sense of who had been walking down these hallways.

“I only recognize Slade’s scent,” Felicity frowned. “It’s strange, but it feels as if someone has been trying to make sure I won’t sense anything but him… There are probably others here though, waiting to ambush us.”

Oliver nodded, taking the information in. He prepared himself, nocking an arrow. “We can do this,” he told her, his voice low.

“Famous last words,” a rough voice spoke up. Oliver looked up as a large man stepped out in their way, followed by two slim women. Their eyes were glowing red and he recognized the sight of blood wolves immediately.

“Get out of our way,” Oliver said. “Your Master-”

“Told us to go and  _ play _ ,” one of the women purred, eyes lighting up at the mere thought of it. She giggled and looked at the other female wolf who looked equally amused.

“Ladies, ladies, ladies,” the man said. “There’s enough to go around for all of us… As long as I get a bite out of the White Wolf.”

“Oh, but I want one too!” the female who had spoken before said. “I really like it when they’re confident they can beat us.”

Oliver saw Felicity take a step forward from the corner of his eye. He saw her bring up her fists and stand in a fighting position. Mentally, Oliver went over all the weapons he had and the extra tranquilizers he and Felicity had brought. They would surely have enough.

“Arrow,” Felicity said next to him, and all of the sudden, she growled. Oliver took the cue, shooting an arrow straight into the male wolf’s shoulder. The creature howled in anger while the two females hissed, attacking Felicity in an instant. Oliver’s heart pounded wildly in his chest as he watched his mate run for the women, bringing out two white oak daggers that she had acquired from Nyssa.

_ “White daggers to keep you safe, little wolf,” _ the assassin had said when she handed the weapons over to Felicity. The blonde had been hesitant to accept them, but Oliver had been glad when she had done so with only a curt nod.

The sharpened wood sliced through the arm of one wolf and the burn that appeared on her skin confirmed that they too were hybrids. Oliver fired another arrow into the male wolf who had gotten closer to him, but the man deflected it.

“I will snap you in two,  _ Hunter _ ,” the wolf growled, saliva dripping from his mouth as he somehow seemed to grow larger.

“He’s turning!” Felicity yelled, her forearm around the throat of one of the females while she kept her foot on the other’s throat. Oliver wasn’t sure how she had managed to take them down so quickly, but he knew deep down that his mate had been training for this for months. Now, the two of them had something more to fight for, not only the future of their city. They were also fighting for their own future.

Oliver reached back into his quiver. He nocked one of the arrows containing the cure. A deep breath later, the arrow whizzed through the air, hitting the wolf who had been about to turn, straight in the chest. The needle pierced the wolf’s shirt and skin, effectively injecting the cure into his body. Oliver watched as the creature staggered, his eyes widening as he took out the arrow. Oliver lowered his bow, taking in the way the monster in front of him convulsed, foam gathering at the mouth. The screams of the two female wolves brought him out of his daze, just long enough to focus on the way that the male one fell to his knees before toppling over in unconsciousness. Oliver turned to Felicity again and saw that she had injected the two other wolves with the cure and that they now too were unconscious.

“The tranquilizers won’t wear off for hours,” Felicity said. “Barry told me that the ones that we have with us have a higher dosage than the others.”

“Why the violent reaction?” Oliver asked. “Roy didn’t react this way when he was given the cure. I thought for a second that I had poisoned him.” He nudged the wolf with his foot, but the man didn’t move. Oliver could see his chest rising and falling though, so it was clear that he was still breathing at least.

“Roy was ready for the cure,” Felicity said. “These wolves fought the serum, which is probably why it hurt them when they received it.”

On some level, it made sense, so Oliver chose to accept Felicity’s logic. He gestured with his head, “Let’s get going. I’m sure Slade is waiting for us.”

“If he’s waited this long, he can wait five more seconds,” Felicity said, walking up to him. She reached up and brought his head down for a quick kiss. “I love you,” she whispered when she pulled away, eyes still half-lidded.

Oliver held her elbow, swallowing thickly as he nodded. “And I love you,” he told her.

They started walking again, following the signs to the main operating room. Oliver figured that Slade would be there since it gave an overview of the entire power plant and the working area. Felicity kept her daggers in hand and Oliver walked beside her with his bow ready. They stepped into the room and Oliver couldn’t say that he was surprised when he spotted Slade sitting in a chair in front of them. He looked just as intimidating as he had been that night in the mansion. Oliver could see the protective armor he wore clearly now. The color scheme was exactly the same as his mask on the Island had been. There were two swords secured to Slade’s back as well, and some other weapons attached to his body.

“Took you long enough, kid,” he said, his voice even. Oliver stared at the man who had once been his mentor and friend; he could hardly believe how far the man had fallen.

“We’ve met your deadline,” Oliver said.

“Not that it will do you much good,” Slade countered. “The hybrids are still just waiting for a sign from their Master. One signal and they attack.”

“We’ve come to end this,” Felicity said, taking a step toward the monster in the chair. Slade looked over at her, his eye normal, for once. The warm brown color was something that Oliver recognized, but he couldn’t allow himself to forget that the man before him wasn’t his friend.

“You made a mistake coming here, Ms. Smoak,” Slade said. “You’ve both just signed your death warrant.”

“No one has to die tonight,” Oliver said loudly.

“The only way you can stop me, is if you kill me,” Slade said. “I can’t stop what I’m doing. I have a mission!” The man’s brown eye glowed suddenly, shifting to the familiar yellow color that revealed a wolf’s identity. It didn’t take long for it to turn red though as an aggressive snarl fell from the man’s mouth.

Oliver tightened his grip on the bow, releasing an arrow at his former friend the second he stood up from his seat. Slade started toward him, ignoring the arrow that sliced through his arm. Instead of hindering him, it only seemed to make him more furious. Oliver and Felicity jumped apart when Slade grabbed the chair he had been sitting in. He threw it toward them with such a strength that it broke through the door, tearing it from its hinges.

Felicity ran at Slade with her dagger high, but Slade raised a leg and successfully kicked her back. Oliver let another arrow go, this time successfully hitting Slade’s knee. Just like the first arrow, this one didn’t seem to bother Slade at all. Oliver realized that Slade seemed to have set his sights on Felicity who was getting up from the floor. Panic rose in his chest when Felicity stood up just as Slade reached her. The man grabbed her shoulders and swung her around, but before he could throw her against the wall, Felicity hooked her legs around him, letting her body weight drop so that he momentarily lost his balance. Slade howled and Oliver’s eyes zeroed in on the white dagger sticking out of the man’s gut. Pride welled inside of Oliver’s chest for just a second before Slade pulled his arm back and punched Felicity in the face. Her cry of pain tore a sound from Oliver’s mouth as he ran toward them. Slade reached behind his back, taking out one of the swords he had secured there. He swung toward Oliver at the same time that Oliver threw his own throwing knives at him. The knives clattered to the floor when Slade used the sword in his hand to deflect them.

Felicity’s nose was bleeding and Slade held her by the throat. A smirk appeared on the man’s face as he looked at Oliver. A second later, he pushed Felicity away from himself, through the large window.

“No!” Oliver screamed, running forward. Slade stepped away just as Oliver passed him, throwing himself out through the window after Felicity. Everything felt as if it slowed down as Oliver stared into Felicity’s wide eyes. She was falling backward and he dove after her, already having shot one of his special arrows with the grappling hook. He grabbed her hand at the last second, slowing her fall down just enough so that she wouldn’t be hurt. Somehow, he managed to twist them around just before he released the line. Oliver’s back connected with the floor of the plant, knocking the breath out of him. Felicity laid on his chest and he could feel her heart beating loudly against his own. He could breathe, but Felicity slowly lifted her head from his chest. He could see the bruise blooming on her face, her lip was cracked open and her nose was still bleeding. It didn’t seem like it was broken though.

Then, he heard the footsteps. Slade was descending the stairs slowly, as if he was giving them a chance to get up. Oliver’s arms felt heavy though and he was still dizzy, even though it became a bit easier to breathe as Felicity rolled off of him. Oliver started to get up, reaching for his bow, but Slade kicked it away and then proceeded to kick Oliver in the ribs. Pain blossomed in his side and Oliver knew that something was broken.

“No,” Felicity snarled, eyes golden as she stood. Her voice was strangled, but Oliver could see the determination in her eyes.

“You can’t protect him,” Slade said. “Just like he can’t protect you from the Master’s wrath. You will both die by my sword tonight. I can’t stop now.” Still weak from the fall, Felicity didn’t stand a chance when Slade pushed her back. She connected with the wall and gasped in pain, falling to the side. Somehow, through the ringing in his ears and the dizziness, Oliver managed to find her eyes. The sheer pain that reflected in her blue ones made him determined to fight for her, just like she would fight for him. He struggled to get up, but once more, Slade’s foot connected with his side. He held him down, pressing against the ribs and Oliver couldn’t help the scream that tore from his throat. The pure agony made it difficult to breathe, but he turned his head and looked toward Felicity, only to see tears falling from her eyes as she held her own side. She could feel it all, he knew. Everything that he felt, she felt too. The blessing that was their soul bond suddenly felt like a curse and he wanted nothing more than to stop her from feeling the pain that radiated from him. The physical pain was nothing compared to how his heart was aching. His arm stretched out, his hand reaching for hers automatically as his vision began to blur. He could see Felicity as she started to crawl toward him.

“I have to do this,” Slade said. “I have no choice. This is where it ends.” The madman paused for a second and Oliver suddenly felt the pressure on his ribs lift slightly. “ _ No _ ,” Slade snarled, eyes flashing. “You told me I had to do this! You planned this for  _ years! _ I have to do this, you  _ said so! _ ”

Oliver blinked a couple of times, eyes finding focus on Slade as the older man lifted his leg from Oliver, grabbing onto his own head. What was happening?

“This was supposed to be  _ my  _ kill! You told me!” Slade continued to shout. It was as if he was speaking to someone who wasn’t there; someone inside his head. “You said this was the only way to avenge Shado. You said this was the only way to make him pay!”

“Oliver,” Felicity said, suddenly next to him. He felt her hand on his cheek, felt her tears fall from her eye and connect with his skin. He reached for her and she helped him sit up. Slowly, his breath came back to him and he clutched Felicity’s hand tightly in his own. He looked at her, but she seemed just as confused as him when Slade suddenly dropped to his knees, just a couple of feet away from them. The madman lowered his head, as if he was being berated by someone.

“Yes, Master,” they heard him whisper before he closed his eye, staying completely still.

This was their chance, Oliver thought. Slade was clearly crazy and something had been going on inside of his head. The monster wasn’t moving and Oliver knew that they were close enough to inject him with the cure. He was still winded though, so he wasn’t sure that his aim would be very good. Besides, something inside of him told him to wait a moment longer.

The next thing he knew, he heard footsteps from behind them. Turning his head at the same time as Felicity, he saw someone descending the metal stairs from another platform on the opposite side of the hall. The footsteps echoed through the vast space and Oliver only felt confusion rising inside of him as a cloaked person approached them. Slade’s head was still lowered as the person walked past them and came to stand next to Slade. Oliver noticed how Slade’s forehead crinkled, as if he was shutting his eye tighter. The person ran their hand through Slade’s hair, as if petting him.

“You’ve done well,” the person said, voice even, but distinctively female.

“Thank you, Master,” Slade mumbled and Oliver felt Felicity’s grip on his hand tighten. They had miscalculated. Something was wrong here. Slade was kneeling before someone else and it was clear that he was the submissive in the situation.

_ “I have no choice.” _

Slade’s voice and choice of words echoed in Oliver’s mind and all of the sudden, something became very clear: Slade was  _ not _ the Master they had been looking for. He had only been a minion or a pawn in whatever larger game that this woman, whoever she was, had been playing.

“Who are you?” Felicity spoke first, her voice clear now. Oliver hoped it was because her hybrid powers had gotten enough time to help her heal.

“Don’t you recognize me, Ms. Smoak?” the cloaked woman said, pulling back the hood. Oliver took in her face, but the confusion only grew larger.

“Abigail?” he frowned, not understanding anything now. The new housekeeper that his mother had gotten? What the hell was she doing? Who was she even?

“Oh, right,” the woman said, a lazy smile on her face. “I’ve gotten so used to playing with faces that I just couldn’t help myself this time either. I apologize for whatever confusion I may have caused.”

The woman’s face began to morph, her body changing too underneath the cloak. Oliver watched as the monster’s real features began to take root; long dark hair and dark eyes, a slim figure with a straight posture that oozed confidence. Abigail was gone within seconds and in her place stood Isabel Rochev, the real Master.

-§-

Roy stood next to Sara the poorly lit streets of the Glades. Ever since Slade’s message, the power had been turning on and off every five minutes. The sky was dark and it nearing midnight, which meant that Felicity and Oliver were already facing the madman who was leading the hybrid army. He was worried about his friends, especially his alpha. There were so many factors that could go wrong and he wished with every bone in his body that he could have stood by her side tonight. Still, he had a job to do and that was more important than anything else. His orders were set and his mission was to protect the citizens as well as help with the evacuations. It had been frustrating to learn that not many of the people in the Glades believed Slade’s threat to be real. The police force, under Detective Lance’s leadership, was doing their best to make sure that the citizens understood that they were in grave danger. Nyssa and her league members were staying hidden in the shadows, but Roy knew that they would appear as soon as the first hybrid reared its head. He could only hope that the cure would be as effective as they had tried to make it.

A scream echoed through the night, just as the streets once again fell into darkness. Roy listened carefully as he felt Sara tense next to him. Using his enhanced hearing, he heard the low sound of a growling noise.

“It’s too early,” Sara mumbled next to him. “We still have twenty minutes.”

“They’re here already,” Roy told her. “We shouldn’t have trusted Slade to keep his word.” Roy prepared himself, standing straight as he felt the power of the moon shine down on him. It was full tonight and despite him being better at controlling himself, he knew that turning was inevitable. If he was going to fight monsters, he would have to become one too.

A low whistle sounded to his left and Roy shifted his attention to one of the alleys. Balling his hands together into fists, he prepared for whatever it was that was making a signal to him. Out of the shadows, a young woman about his age walked out. She approached him and Sara with her hands raised in surrender and Roy inhaled through his nose like Felicity had taught him. He had to know what kind of species the woman was.

_ Werewolf,  _ he realized quickly, sensing that she wasn’t a hybrid or anything else. Sara still stood prepared, but he motioned to her with a short shake of his head that they weren’t in any danger, from what he could tell.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Roy said, looking at the young woman. She had short black hair and dark clothing, making it easier for her to blend in the shadows.

“I am exactly where I’m supposed to be,” the girl replied. She looked him over once and Roy was glad that he was wearing his red hoodie, hiding his face from her gaze. “Are you one of  _ Hers? _ ”

Roy frowned, not really understanding what the girl was getting at. “One of what?” he asked, making his confusion clear.

“One in  _ Her  _ pack? The White Wolf?” the woman clarified, looking almost desperate to know. “We’ve seen what she’s done whenever she’s been out on the streets. We know how she’s been fighting the hybrids with the Arrow.”

“Who is this ‘we’ you keep talking about?” Roy growled, wanting a straight answer. He was getting impatient because of the moon, but also because he could hear the hybrids approaching.

“ _ We _ ,” the woman said, motioning with her hand as six others came forward from the shadows. “We don’t have an alpha and since the Undertaking, we’ve been sleeping in shelters during the night… We taught ourselves how to control during the full moon, but we’ve stayed hidden because we knew other wolves were being taken. Now, we want to help.”

“Well, if you want to help, you might want to speed up the introductions,” Sara said. Roy turned around and looked toward the end of the street where around thirty masked men stood. Their eyes were glowing in the dark, a mixture of red and glowing yellow.

“Okay,” Roy said, turning to the girl. “If you want to help, you can. I don’t know you guys, but considering that you’re not hybrids, I’m going to trust that you aren’t trying to stab us in the back.”

“We want to meet the White Wolf,” the woman insisted. “After all of this is over, we want an alpha too.”

“You’ll have to take that up with her once we’re done with those fuckers,” Roy said, motioning toward the masked men.

“Sounds like a deal,” the woman nodded, eyes glowing golden as a smile spread across her face. “My name is Sin.”

“I’ll tell you mine once we make it through this,” Roy promised. “Now, stand behind us and prepare to fight for your lives.”

-§-

Felicity stared at the brunette beauty in front of them. Isabel seemed calm as she continued to run her fingers through Slade’s hair. Felicity sensed a shift in the man who was breathing heavily and still kneeling. All around them, she felt something akin to a thick fog; an ominous and powerful presence that demanded to be obeyed. Felicity wasn’t sure whether her confusion or shock at the revelation of Isabel being the true mastermind behind the hybrid army was more prominent in her head.

“What the fuck is going on?” Oliver said through clenched teeth, speaking the words that Felicity had been thinking ever since Abigail’s face had morphed into Isabels.

Isabel’s lazy smile remained plastered on her face as she turned her attention to Oliver, her eyes glowing red for a brief moment. “I understand that this is confusing for the two of you,” she stated, “but soon enough things will clear up.” Felicity noticed how the woman tightened her grip on Slade’s hair, making the grown man flinch. Isabel released him, but Slade remained kneeling. “My hybrids are out there already, fighting your friends and loved ones, I’m sure,” she mused, walking slowly around them. Felicity moved a little closer to Oliver, but just barely, so that Isabel wouldn’t notice.

“We had until midnight,” Oliver stated, making Isabel laugh.

“Did you honestly think that my little pets would want to wait? Half of them were blood wolves and lethalis shifters before they were reborn as hybrids. They hunger for blood, unlike any other creatures,” she said, smile still in place.

“Why?” Felicity managed to bite out, feeling anger well inside of her. She didn’t understand and she wanted to. Nothing could have prepared her for this. She had thought that she had had things figured out, but apparently, she had been wrong all along. Of course, there was the fact that she had never particularly liked Isabel, even before Russia. However, Felicity didn’t know how Isabel had been able to hide the fact that she was, in fact, a Dark One. Even that night in the mansion, when she had been in disguise as the new maid, Felicity hadn’t sensed that she had any connection to the Dark World.

“Do I need a reason?” Isabel countered, raising an eyebrow. “What other reason is there, other than absolute and complete  _ power? _ ” Once again, her eyes flared to life, glowing red before returning to normal. “You see, Ms. Smoak, I’ve had power in my blood since the moment I was born… I am a  _ true  _ hybrid.”

Felicity could feel Oliver’s gaze turn to her, but she continued to stare at Isabel. “What exactly does that mean?” she asked.

“How silly of me,” Isabel sneered. “I just remembered that you haven’t been a part of our world for long. You haven’t grown up with the stories of what true hybrids are.” Slowly, Isabel walked up to them so that she could lean down, a little closer to Felicity. “I was born a natural cross between lethalis shapeshifter and a lamia vampire. It gave me the immortality and strength of a vampire but also the abilities of a shapeshifter. I never knew my parents, but I didn’t need them. I was taken in by an exiled witch and she raised me, teaching me all about the ancient legends and my heritage.”

Felicity listened intently, knowing that Oliver was doing the same. “What does this have to do with us? Why attack Starling City?” she demanded to know, anger breaking through her calm facade.

“Because when I was young and impressionable, I came across a man in this city who became my lover,” Isabel snarled back. Her eyes momentarily flickered to Oliver before returning to glare at Felicity. “I wanted him to be mine, but he already had a family. He  _ chose  _ them over me, and I left this city, vowing that I would come back and destroy it once I had the means to.”

“My… My father,” Oliver realized and Felicity turned to him in surprise. “It must have been. Why would you otherwise have targeted Queen Consolidated and my family? Unless that part has to do with Slade and where he fits into this plan of yours.”

“You’re smarter than you make yourself out to be, Oliver,” Isabel said. “Yes, your father wronged me, but it wasn’t until I revealed to him that I wanted to become the most powerful creature in the world.”

“He knew you were a Dark One,” Felicity stated.

“He knew, but he wanted no part in me destroying the world… Apparently, he didn’t see the appeal of ruling over everything and everyone,” Isabel shared. “When he left me, I traveled east. There, I met Dr. Anthony Ivo, who I’m sure you’ve heard of before, Oliver.”

“He created the mirakuru,” Oliver said. Felicity could sense that things were finally beginning to fall into place for him.

“Out of my blood,” Isabel grinned. “I wanted more hybrids, but I didn’t want them to be like me. So I kidnapped the woman who raised me and after she helped create the first few vials, I killed her so that no one else would learn how to recreate the serum. I couldn’t have anyone competing with me, could I?” She waved a hand around, as if dismissing the mere thought of it; as if killing the one person who had raised her, hadn’t bothered her at all. “I wasn’t there though, on the freighter when you and Slade confronted Ivo. I wasn’t there when you took the mirakuru and injected Slade with it. I was in Russia, moving up the ranks in the secret communities.”

“Slade was turned into a hybrid by the mirakuru, but he was a normal human before that, wasn’t he?” Felicity questioned. “That means that the original mirakuru…” she trailed off momentarily. “People died, right? While Ivo worked on the mirakuru, they people he tried it on, they died.”

“They couldn’t take in the power of my blood, but Slade here,” Isabel said, once again resting her hand on Slade’s head, “he could. I assume that he must have had the dormant gene of a werewolf, but either way, he became the first and  _ only  _ carrier of my mirakuru,” she explained.

“You’re his sire,” Felicity said, eyes narrowing. “So you have been using him, all this time.”

“The rage he felt toward Oliver when he first turned was real,” Isabel said. “However, with time, he would have eventually gotten control of his emotions. When Oliver thought he had killed him on the island, Slade woke up feeling a pull for his sire. He swam across the ocean, let the waves and the powers of nature tear his flesh from him, right down to his bones… All so that he could get to me.” Isabel seemed so smug about it all and Felicity had never wanted to punch the woman more than she did now. She needed to know though; she had to know the truth about everything now that she had the chance. The more they stalled Isabel, the more time she had to figure out what their next move should be. Neither Felicity nor Oliver had expected his turn. They had to reevaluate their original plan, because if there was a chance that Slade wasn’t completely controlled by Isabel, he still needed to be dealt with.

“Slade found me in Siberia, eventually,” Isabel told them. “There, I practiced my compulsion on him and started planning for all of  _ this _ .” She looked around herself, grinning widely again. Felicity nearly shuddered at the image because she was so used to Isabel not expressing any other emotion than smugness. Seeing her this satisfied with herself and actually  _ grinning  _ was making Felicity extremely uncomfortable. “It was then that I found out that only his blood could turn other wolves into hybrids. Fortunately for me, he was more than pleased to let his sire do as she wanted, isn’t that right, Slade?”

“Yes, Master,” Slade replied, his eye glowing red. It flickered back to yellow shortly after and Felicity could see his face falling a bit.

“It was easy to use the memory of the woman he loved to fuel his anger,” Isabel continued. “Half of the time, I only had to mention Shado in order to subdue him.”

Slade looked up when Shado’s name fell from Isabel’s mouth. Felicity could see that his gaze moved to Oliver as his jaw ticked. For just the fraction of a second, it returned to his normal brown color. “I’m sorry, kid,” he said, so low that it was barely audible.

“The world will burn, starting with Starling City,” Isabel said, ignoring Slade’s apology. She didn’t seem to hear him at all. It was clear to Felicity that the woman was so deep inside her own head that she wasn’t even aware of the fact that Slade had clearly momentarily broken through the sire bond. “Only the strong ones will rise from the ashes, the ones  _ I  _ deem  _ worthy _ ,” Isabel raved on.

A snort fell from Felicity’s lips, gaining the other woman’s attention. Isabel raised an eyebrow at Felicity, clearly silently asking her what it was that she was laughing at. “I always knew you were a bitch, but I wasn’t aware of the fact that you were also psychotic,” Felicity said, staring her down. “Is that what all of this has been about? Some twisted revenge plan, a game of coincidence? Oliver injecting Slade with the mirakuru to save his life was nothing more than pure chance. There’s no way that things just fall into place like this.”

“Then what brought you to your  _ mate _ , Ms. Smoak?” Isabel countered. “Maybe there are forces we aren’t aware of, guiding us. Maybe this is the Universe’s way of telling me that I am meant to be the most powerful creature in the-”

“Will you just shut the fuck up for a second, because my head is spinning from all of this,” Felicity groaned. “Do you honestly love the sound of your own voice so much that you can’t take a second to breathe?” She let out a sigh, shaking her head. “So, we know the ‘Why Oliver and Queen Consolidated?’, but why me? Before you answer,” she interrupted Isabel when she saw the woman open her mouth, “let me take a guess.” She tilted her head to the side and observed the brunette in silence. Then she turned her attention to Slade. “I never formed a sire bond with Slade. You weren’t able to control me through him, which made me a loose end, right?”

“You fought the bond,” Isabel said.

“I just said that there never was a bond,” Felicity repeated. “All I felt for the people who turned me was hatred and anger. The sire bond is formed from a warped sense of gratitude and manipulation, in your case.”

“When I learned that there was one wolf who had resisted the bond, I wanted to see you for myself,” Isabel said. “I ordered Slade to compel you to forget later, but I wanted to prove that you weren’t better than the rest of us. You have it inside of you, the urge to kill and serve a master.”

“I don’t,” Felicity argued. “I don’t have that urge at all, and it bothers you, doesn’t it? You  _ want  _ me to be like the others, like  _ you.  _ You want to prove that there’s no way for a Dark One to want to do good. Then, there’s the part with Oliver… You wanted to drag him into the mystery, keep him looking for the wrong Master while you planned it all. So you compelled Slade to have me look up the Hunter. Then comes another thing you didn’t count on,” Felicity grinned. “You didn’t expect me and Oliver to be mates.”

“When I saw your interactions after Malcolm Merlyn’s Undertaking, I suspected it, but I couldn’t believe the twist of fate,” Isabel said, anger shining in her eyes. “I wanted to prove my suspicions wrong, so when we went to Russia…”

“You seduced Oliver when he was the most vulnerable,” Felicity concluded. The reminder of what had happened in Russia stung, but she and Oliver had worked past that.

“He didn’t even know what he was doing half the time,” Isabel said. “When we got to the room, he even wanted to leave, but I made him stay.”

Felicity froze and she felt Oliver do the same next to her. Isabel smirked and all of the sudden, Felicity’s stomach twisted at what Isabel was implying. Had she compelled Oliver to stay with her in Russia? Was she implying that Oliver hadn’t been fully willing, but rather that she had…?

“You despicable, psychotic bitch,” Felicity snarled, getting to her feet in a millisecond. She threw the dart she had held in her hand throughout the conversation toward Slade. The tranquilizer connected with the man’s neck, a perfect hit that made him howl. It gave her and Oliver the opportunity to make a move. She ran at Isabel, taking her by surprise when she grabbed her by the throat and pushed her backward, straight into the wall.

She could hear a series of grunts behind her, indicating that Oliver and Slade were fighting too. Felicity knew that it would take a while for the mirakuru in Slade’s body to be removed. After all, the man had been under its influence for years and Isabel’s grip on his mind was without a doubt strong.

Isabel managed to get a punch in, jabbing Felicity in the stomach. She groaned, but dodged the next attack, kicking the other woman in her side. Elongating her nails, Felicity used them to scratch at Isabel’s face, her anger over how the woman had wronged her mate taking over. If Isabel had compelled Oliver, it was likely that he hadn’t been in control of his actions. That meant that he had been unwilling and the woman had forced herself on him all in order to test out a theory.

“He came to that room wanting to sleep with me,” Isabel said, as if sensing Felicity’s thoughts. Who knew? Maybe she could read minds. Felicity wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to ask either. “I merely convinced him that you weren’t going to give him another chance. It bothered me the most though, that even when he was with me, he was thinking about  _ you.  _ That was how I knew that it had to be a mate bond.”

Isabel grabbed Felicity by the hair, swiftly maneuvering them around so that she could slam her face into the wall. Felicity cried out in pain, grabbing for Isabel’s arms. She was unable to stop her when she was yet again smacked into the bricks. It made her dizzy, but she was determined not to let the psychopath win. Enough was enough.

Felicity’s eyes started glowing golden as she focused all her emotions on what was most important for her: her friends, her family, and Oliver. The thought of their future together gave her strength and she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply once. At the sound of bones breaking and rebuilding themselves, Isabel took a startled step back. The clothes tore from Felicity’s body and in the place where she had stood fragile and vulnerable, now stood a powerful wolf. Her white pelt seemed to glow as her transformation was completed, her muscles stretching as the animal moved slowly toward Isabel. The brunette moved backward and then took a fighting stance, her vampire fangs appearing as she hissed at Felicity. Golden eyes met red ones and then. the white wolf jumped.

-§-

Oliver could feel it. He could feel Slade’s movements starting to get sluggish. Felicity had moved so quickly, that he had barely had the time to stand up himself. The moment the had launched herself at Isabel, Slade had stood up and yanked the needle that had just injected him with the cure out of his neck. Oliver’s former friend and mentor had then turned around, ready to jump after Felicity, but Oliver had managed to intercept. While Felicity fought Isabel with everything she had, Oliver did his best to hold back Slade, despite his injuries. He had known that he needed to do so, at least until the cure started working through Slade’s body.

His side still hurt, but Oliver bore through it. He had to fight for his family and friends, for the people of Starling City and for Felicity. Somehow, as if in a haze, he managed to make Slade lose his grip on one of his swords. Oliver lifted it from the ground with his foot, just in time to block another attack from Slade. He reached for his side, taking out three more vials of the cure, throwing the darts toward his adversary. Slade managed to deflect two of them, but one went through the weaker part of his armor, injecting him with yet another dose of the cure. Oliver hoped that it would make it work faster.

His mind was reeling with what Isabel had hinted at earlier, making it difficult for him to focus entirely on what was happening. His body moved as if on autopilot, dodging punches and kicks, giving as good as he got. Slade was slowing down, but Oliver’s thoughts were still screaming at him that his mind had been violated by Isabel without his knowledge. Then again, Oliver knew how openly manipulative Isabel had been even when they hadn’t known she was the Master. For all that he knew, she could be lying about that night in Russia. There was no way to know for certain, but Oliver knew that with him and Felicity, that night was a thing of the past. They had moved on and despite the circumstances in which it had happened, it  _ had  _ happened. There was no going back for do-overs and there was no way to change what had occurred. Oliver decided then that he didn’t want to know. Even though he knew that it mattered, he was in a good place with Felicity now and they were heading into their future together. Still, Oliver was certain that once they made it out of this night, Felicity would want to talk to him about it and clear things up.

Oliver’s mind registered the sounds of bones cracking and shifting. His eyes moved to the side and saw Felicity in her wolf form jumping at Isabel, who somehow seemed to be taller and wider. Oliver understood that her shapeshifter genes gave her the ability to morph her body to fit her own liking. The monster that was currently fighting his mate stood well above six feet, with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp teeth. Isabel’s perfectly manicured fingernails had grown out into sharp claws. She continuously sliced toward Felicity, but his wolf was faster. Oliver’s heart sped up when Felicity’s paw came down on Isabel’s face, cutting the monster’s cheek. He had never seen Felicity move the way that she did now, fighting against the woman who had orchestrated everything they had been trying to fight for over two years now.

A low moan from Oliver’s left forced him to turn, only to see Slade laying slumped over on the floor of the power plant. His old friend was moaning in agony, it seemed, but there was no fight left in him anymore. Oliver walked up to him quickly, zip-tying his wrists and feet several times over.

“Good thinkin’, kid,” Slade breathed out, still sounding as if he was in a daze. “I don’t think your cure has completely taken the mirakuru out of me. I still feel like I want to rip your throat out…” His head lulled to the side and Oliver took a second to look at the man. Slade had done a lot of bad things while he had worked for Isabel. Oliver wondered how much of it had been fueled by his misguided anger toward Oliver and how much of it had been Isabel’s compulsion.

Oliver stood up again and grabbed his bow, turning toward Isabel and Felicity again. The white wolf was cornering the other creature and Oliver moved on instinct when he approached.

“Felicity,” he said, his voice even, but it got the wolf’s attention. Felicity took just the fraction of a step back and Oliver sent two arrows flying, both embedding themselves either of Isabel’s arms. The crazed woman screamed in pain before her shout turned into a sick laughter. She pulled one of her arms free, tearing through her own flesh without thought. Oliver fired another arrow, this time hitting her in her thigh.

“I can see that you’re not trying to hit me with the cure,” Isabel mused. “Good thinking, Mr. Queen. A natural born hybrid can’t be cured.” She ripped out the arrow in her thigh and then tried to pull the other one from her arm out. Oliver fought the urge to smirk when she realized that she couldn’t. He had been very precise about that one, aiming for a piece of muscle that would render her strengthless in the arm once cut. The fact that he had used an arrow which had a head that turned into a hook, sinking it deep into the wall behind Isabel, would only make it more difficult for her to heal, despite her enhanced strength.

“There’s one thing you have to have realized by now,” Oliver said, nocking another arrow. He aimed it at her. “You’re a hybrid, but that’s all. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how powerful… You hid behind Slade because his strength was enhanced. You hid behind his army and wanted to confront only the two of us alone, because you knew that you wouldn’t be able to beat out entire team. That is probably why you were working with Ivo in the beginning. Not because you wanted more hybrids, but because you wanted to be stronger.” Oliver stared down the brunette who seemed angrier than ever. Deep down though, Oliver knew that he saw fear flicker in her eyes as well. “You thought you’d have your super-hybrid by your side. You thought Slade would be able to take us down for you. But you miscalculated, Ms. Rochev.” Oliver let go of the arrow, hitting the woman in her knee this time. Isabel screamed and the anger inside of her seemed to radiate through the room.

“You think you’re so smart, Oliver,” Isabel growled. “You think you know everything, even when you don’t. I’ve been playing you for years!”

“The game is over, Isabel,” Oliver told her. “You lost.”

Isabel let out another scream, this time tearing her arm from the wall with all the strength that she possessed. She launched herself at Oliver, but he stood still. Felicity jumped next to him, springing into action as she threw herself at Isabel. Her teeth embedded themselves in Isabel’s shoulder as she intercepted Isabel’s rage-fueled attack. Oliver watched as Felicity held Isabel down on the floor, pulling and tearing into the other woman’s skin with her sharp teeth. A moment later, Felicity used her strength to throw the woman up against the wall and Oliver took his shot. He released several arrows at the same time. They split in mid-air, a thin, but specially enhanced cord connecting the pieces. As the arrowheads connected with the wall, Isabel was tied up and incapacitated. She struggled against the bonds, but Oliver and Felicity both knew that it was futile. Barry had put a spell on the cords, making sure that they were indestructible, no matter the strength the tied up being possessed. In fact, it wasn’t the only thing that Barry had spelled for them. Felicity came to stand by Oliver’s side and he rested his hand in her pelt, assuring himself that she was okay. After a second or two, Felicity shifted back to her human form. Oliver still kept an eye on Isabel as Felicity gathered up her torn clothes. She put the ripped pieced in a pile and a small buzzing sound was heard as they stitched themselves together again. Oliver waited for her to get dressed and then, she came to stand by his side again.

“Kill me then,” Isabel said. “What’s the point of all of this if you don’t end it all?”

“It has ended,” Felicity said. “There’s no need for mindless killing anymore.”

Isabel let out a laugh, “The Count might have acted against my orders, but he proved that you weren’t better than the rest of us. Killing is in your blood. You’re a murderer, just like  _ me. _ ”

“The difference,” Felicity hissed, “between you and me, is that I  _ chose  _ not to kill. It’s been my choice since the beginning, which is something you’ve never understood. That’s why I wasn’t sired to Slade when I turned and that’s why you haven’t been able to control me.” She reached for Oliver’s hand at the same time that he reached for hers. He needed that point of contact, especially tonight. “I’ll sleep better knowing that you’ll be taken care of. You’ll be locked up for the rest of your life in a cell that won’t allow you to use your powers,” Felicity said. “You’ll never turn anyone against their will again and you’ll never be able to hurt anyone I love.”

“Hm… You speak of choices, but you forget that you have another one to make,” Isabel said. “You have a cure now, to rid yourself of the powers you never wanted. You can return to being nothing more than a wolf now. Of course, it would mean removing the strength that  _ I  _ gave you, which puts you in a dilemma, doesn’t it?” Isabel’s voice was taunting and Oliver could feel the annoyance radiating off of Felicity. “Don’t take the cure, keep your strength, and I’m sure your sweet Oliver will never look at you the same. You’d be keeping powers that weren’t yours to have, powers that were given to you by one of his greatest adversaries. He’d hate you, deep down, and you know it.”

“Stop trying to mess with our heads,” Oliver snapped. “Whatever Felicity decides to do with the cure, is up to her. You don’t get a say in it and neither do I. The only thing you have to worry about is whether your jumpsuit will be orange or striped with black and white.”

“My hybrids are still out there! They’re tearing the city apart!” Isabel screamed, her face red.

“They were never yours to begin with,” Felicity said, looking over at Slade’s unconscious body. Oliver understood what she was thinking. They both knew that until they were certain that there weren’t any side-effects from Slade being under Isabel’s compulsion and mirakuru, he would most likely have to be locked up as well. Oliver reached for Felicity’s hand, twining their fingers and squeezing once. They had to contact the others and find out what had happened to them. Oliver wasn’t even sure how much time had passed, but he hoped with all of his heart that their friends and the city were safe.

-§-

The machines buzzed lightly, lights flickering every now and then as vitals appeared on the screen. Felicity sat in the chair next to the hospital bed, Oliver’s hand on her shoulder, giving silent comfort as they looked at Roy who laid on the bed. Three days had passed since what the media called  _ the Siege _ . After she and Oliver had made sure that both Isabel and Slade wouldn’t be able to escape, they had contacted their team. According to Tommy, who had been monitoring things from the Foundry, as planned, Roy and Sara had been injured during the fight. One of the hybrids had turned into a full-fledged wolf and the mere size of him had made it nearly impossible for Roy to hold him back. The creature had apparently set his sights on tearing Roy apart and when he had grabbed the young wolf with his teeth, he had injured his leg badly. Fortunately for Roy, the other wolves who had joined them had intercepted the creature and worked together to get Roy out of its clutches. Sara had run to Roy, which had ultimately led to her being attacked. The crazed wolf had taken a bite out of her side and she had lost a lot of blood even before Nyssa and her team of hunters had managed to get to the scene and take the wolf down. They had no choice but to put it down, something that Felicity couldn’t lie and say that she was sorry for.

She looked up, toward the other bed on the other side of the room. Sara laid there, unconscious and pale, but recovering. She was in a medically induced coma, just like Roy was and hopefully, they would make a full recovery. Roy’s wolf genes would help him heal, but Felicity knew that if the injury was too severe, it could take time, especially considering that the full moon had passed. Thea came back to Starling City as soon as Oliver contacted her to tell her it was over. She didn’t even ask about Roy, because she already knew what had happened. When she arrived at the hospital, she told Felicity how she had been having a late dinner, trying to get any updates on what was going on in Starling City, when she had felt a sharp pain in her leg. She had known immediately that it was Roy. According to her, she had tried to get the first train to Starling City, but all connecting trains had been canceled due to the Siege. That was why she had called Moira and Walter, telling them that they had to come and get her from wherever they were. When Oliver had called them too, they had flown in on the private jet and taken both Thea, Laurel and Laurel’s mother with them to Starling.

Laurel and her mother had been shocked to learn that Sara was alive. It was only a natural reaction, Felicity knew, but it hadn’t taken them long to just accept the miracle for what it was. Felicity and Oliver had made up some story together with Detective Lance about how Sara had been a captive of Isabel’s and Sara’s mom had bought it without question. Laurel had been a bit more skeptical, the lawyer inside of her sensing that more was going on, but with Tommy’s reassurance, she didn’t question them any further. Nyssa was a part of the scheme too. She added to the story, saying that she had been in the cell next to Sara’s when the blonde had been brought in. They had become friends, and later  _ more _ , which was why she insisted on staying by Sara’s side until she woke up and recovered.

They were all in a private hospital wing that belonged to the Queen’s, since they were generous donors to several charities. It was a bit crowded, having everyone there, but no one complained. It frustrated the hospital staff whenever they came to check on the patients, but at the same time, they understood that they had all been through something traumatic. Felicity stood up from her seat and looked up at Oliver, who nodded curtly and moved with her.

“We’re going to get us some coffee,” Felicity told the others, who didn’t say much in return.

“We’ll come with you,” Tommy said, nudging Barry who had been standing by the window, looking out at the city that hadn’t started rebuilding itself yet.

The four of them walked toward the cafeteria, standing in line to get the good coffee. On the TV, they saw Detective Lance, who had been forced to hold a press conference. The Mayor of Starling City and the rest of the politicians had apparently decided that it was important to once again cover up the existence of Dark Ones. Felicity watched as they repeated the words that Lance had said during his statement. There was a lot that they hadn’t disclosed yet, since the Siege was still an ongoing investigation. Quentin managed to make it sound as if it was all the work of a crazy person who had tried to take down the Arrow and that the masked men and women who had attacked the City had been on drugs that had enhanced their strength. The detective also made it clear that without the Arrow and his team, which the media and people were going crazy about, the City would have suffered an even greater loss. There had been casualties in the Siege, but not as many as with the Undertaking. Task Force X, Lyla’s division and Nyssa’s league of hunters had done their best to handle the hybrids as fast as possible. After they had all gotten together at the hospital, Diggle had asked to speak with Oliver and Felicity alone. As soon as they had some time for themselves, he revealed that he had been seeing Lyla for some time now, working on rebuilding their relationship. Neither Oliver nor Felicity had been particularly surprised by this, but the bigger shock had come when he had proceeded to tell them that Lyla was pregnant.

Diggle explained that while they had been taking down Dark Ones, Lyla had a close call. It had been Lawton who took down the hybrid that had been coming at her, ultimately saving her life. When Diggle had thanked the man, Lawton had accidentally revealed that he couldn’t let ‘little Diggle’ die, despite their differences. At John’s dumbfound expression, Lawton had quickly realized that Lyla hadn’t yet informed her boyfriend about the baby.

“He had heard the heartbeat,” Diggle had said, still looking as if he couldn’t believe it. “Turns out, Lyla hadn’t confirmed it yet, but she was suspecting that she was… Lawton’s enhanced hearing is probably the only confirmation we need.”

“You’re going to be a father, John,” Oliver had said, smiling at his friend. Diggle chuckled and nodded, accepting the embrace that Oliver gave him. 

Felicity hugged him tightly too, “If I don’t get to be the godmother, I’ll be highly disappointed.” Diggle had only laughed and hugged her tighter. Later, he had gone with Lyla to a drop-in clinic and gotten it confirmed.

Now, Felicity looked at the TV again, reading the words over and over again where Lance told the people of Starling City that the Arrow was a hero.

“Do you think that will do the trick?” Barry asked her, nodding toward the screen.

Felicity shrugged, looking at Oliver.

“It’s remarkable what people believe, just to make up excuses for the impossible,” Oliver said, as if reading her mind. Felicity saw the concern on his face, but she just reached for his hand and tried to assure him that she was fine. In fact, she was doing better than okay, despite everything that had happened these past three days. She and Oliver still hadn’t had the time to discuss the things that Isabel had said when she had been taunting them. Felicity knew that Oliver wasn’t ready yet, but she had made sure that he knew that whenever he was, she would be there for him. That was what mates did for one another. It didn’t keep them from spending almost every second of every day together. They still stayed in the apartment every night. In the mornings, they went to the hospital to stay with Roy and Sara until visiting hours ended. Their friends and family were more important than anything else and they needed to stick together.

Nevertheless, it didn’t change the fact that Felicity’s mind felt like a mess sometimes. She often caught herself thinking about the things Isabel had been screaming at her when she had been taken into custody by A.R.G.U.S. and then imprisoned in a soundproof cell. Felicity had a choice to make when it came to the cure. If she wanted to turn back into being a simple wolf, she could. The problem was that Felicity didn’t know what to do. She knew that she had Oliver’s support, no matter what she chose, although with Roy and Sara still in a coma, she couldn’t even begin thinking about her own future choice.

Felicity felt Oliver’s hand tighten on her own. She felt his support and love wash over her as she looked up at him again, knowing that he was using their bond to connect with her. A smile spread across her face and she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. It was comforting to hear his heartbeat and to know that after everything they had been through, they had come out on the other side. They were still strong and she had no doubt in her mind that whenever she made her choice regarding the cure, she would have Oliver’s support. Leaning down, Oliver pressed his lips to her forehead. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the touch for a while.

Soon, Laurel came running from down the hallway, panting as she approached them. “They’re awake!” she said. “Roy opened his eyes first and when Thea started crying, Sara woke up too! I’ve never seen such a thing in my life,” she told them. The lightness inside of Felicity returned as she smiled wider, looking at Oliver, Tommy and Barry. They grinned back at her and together, they stepped out of the coffee line and headed back to the room. When she entered the room, Felicity’s eyes first fell on Sara, who was crying as her mother embraced her. The sight made Felicity’s eyes tear up and she took in a shaky breath before pausing. There was something different about the air around Sara, which made Felicity wonder… She looked over at Nyssa, who seemed to have sensed something as well, but the huntress only shook her head in a barely noticeable move. Nyssa didn’t move away from Sara though, which meant that whatever it was that was going on, didn’t matter to her. Still, Felicity was sure that once things slowly went back to normal, they would have time to discuss it.

Felicity turned her attention to Roy, who was blushing profusely because Thea kept pressing kisses against his face in front of everyone else. At the same time, Felicity could sense that he didn’t really mind, and that he was happy to have Thea back in his arms. Smiling, Felicity leaned back into Oliver’s chest, letting him hold her. Her hands rested over his around her middle and she felt him press another kiss to the top of her head before he rested his chin there. His thumb moved over the back of her hand and she could feel how much love he was radiating. Happiness filled every corner of the room as their families and friends united. Felicity tightened her grip on Oliver and lifted his hand to her lips, kissing it gently, glad to finally only see peace and light in their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep, I really hope you guys didn't hate this. I worked as hard as I could and did my best to post it tonight since I'm going on a small vacation in a day. Originally, I was supposed to leave tomorrow, but the trip was postponed to Tuesday. Still, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long. Also, I won't be able to write or update anything for at least two weeks, but that gives us the perfect opportunity to have that Q&A I discussed with you guys. Basically, what I'd like for you to do is send in questions to me either here as a comment, on my Tumblr (author123456) or on my Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666). I'll gather all the questions you have regarding this fic and the writing process I have been going through (because it's been years since I started this story!) and then, when I have some questions, I'll write a long-ass reply and post it on Tumblr! :D How does that sound? I hope you guys are interested in doing this with me, because I feel like it will be interesting to share my thoughts on some events in this story. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I honestly hope that I haven't disappointed you guys with this final twist. Did anyone see that coming? Also, I really hate writing action scenes and I haven't had time to proof read every scene in this chapter. One day, when I find the strength to do so, I'll go back and read through everything again and fix the small mistakes that always slip in. Thank you for your love and support. I love you guys. xx


	34. The Choices We Make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello peeps! I know I've been away for AGES, but here it is, FINALLY: The final chapter of Hunted! Honestly, it's been a long time coming and I truly hope you're going to be satisfied with the ending. Of course, I will be writing an epilogue as well, which is why the story won't be marked as finished just yet.
> 
> I also haven't had time to get around to answering your comments and questions, but let me tell you, I WILL do that. Also, please note that there are some time jumps across these scenes, so I hope it isn't too confusing for you guys.
> 
> Please enjoy! :) xx

**Chapter 34: The Choices We Make**

 

_ “Tell me what you see.” _

The smell of candles burning was the most prominent in the air. The room was warm, but there was a draft somewhere too; she could feel it in her lower back as chills crept up her spine. Besides their slow breaths, the room was quiet. There was no disturbance, because they had shut out the sounds of the city; filtered them away until there was only a small buzz left in the background.

_ “Tell me, Sara.” _

Felicity’s voice penetrated Sara’s mind again and for a moment, it sent shockwaves through the blonde who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Sara tried her best to focus, tried desperately to make sense of the feelings that Felicity was trying to help her control.

Almost two weeks had passed since Sara had been released from the hospital. Her recovery had been quick, despite her severe injuries. It was something that should have been the first clue to her changed nature. Of course, despite seeing the signs of it, Sara had struggled to accept the fact that she wasn’t the same woman she had been before the Siege.

She let out a small huff, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to focus again on Felicity’s question: What did she see? It was a difficult thing to answer, considering that she wasn’t seeing anything at the moment. Not only were her eyes closed, but they were also blindfolded. She was meant to be training her other senses, something which she had done before, of course, while training to become a huntress for the League. This exercise was different too, though.

“I see darkness in my future,” Sara muttered, mostly under her breath, but she knew Felicity heard her. The other blonde squeezed her hands a bit, almost reassuringly, but Sara could tell that she was losing her patience.

“I don’t want you to tell me in words, Sara,” Felicity sighed, this time out loud. 

Sara pulled her hands out from Felicity’s and frustratedly tore the blindfold off, “Then how am I supposed to tell you, Felicity?” Her voice was exasperated and she was tired. She knew that Felicity could sense her irritation as well.

“Maybe I asked the wrong question,” Felicity said, tilting her head in a way that made it difficult for Sara to stay mad. Truth be told, she wasn’t angry at Felicity. None of this was her fault.

“I’m sorry,” Sara said, knowing that she owed the apology to the other blonde. Felicity had had her own struggles since the Siege, but she hadn’t been reluctant to drop remodeling the Foundry with the rest of the team to help Sara figure herself out.

“It’s not your fault,” Felicity said. “I know this is difficult for you. I know it’s hard to accept that this happened to you.”

“Felicity, what happened to me isn’t the difficult thing to accept,” Sara insisted.

“Then what is?”

“I don’t know!” Sara growled. For a moment her heart beat faster and the hairs on her arms rose. She looked at Felicity, her hands clenched as she stared at the woman who was trying to help her. Felicity had her lips pressed together, her eyebrows furrowed as she took in Sara’s appearance. She reached over and gently took Sara’s hand in hers again. Sara looked down when Felicity gingerly opened her palm. Her nails had extended somewhat, forming into claws that had dug into her skin, drawing blood. 

“Damn it,” Sara frowned, her pulse calming at the sight of her own blood. “I’m sorry… Again.”

“I want to help you, Sara, but you have to be open for it,” Felicity said. “Have you been in touch with Nyssa at all since she left?”

“No, but she’ll contact me once she deals with her father back in Nanda Parbat,” Sara sighed, rubbing her temple. “It’s going to be hard for her to explain how one his best huntresses became a werewolf.”

“Well, a severe bite from a werewolf hybrid should be the only explanation he needs,” Felicity said. “From what I can see, you’re taking the separation- as temporary as it may be-  _ hard. _ ”

“Do you have a Ph.D. in psychology as well?” Sara questioned, raising an eyebrow at Felicity.

“No,” Felicity let out a small laugh. “I just understand the basic functions of a wolf on a deeper level.”

Sara lowered her head, thinking about what her friend was saying. She wasn’t trying to be difficult or rejecting the help she was getting. It wasn’t about her having some kind of lingering hatred for werewolves, or anything like that. Since she had woken up in the hospital, things had been stressful for her. Her mother insisted on being around her every day and Laurel kept trying to convince her to be her maid of honor. Sara wasn’t interested in taking up a normal life in the city… Or at least she didn’t think she was. Over the years that she had been away, she had changed. It was a normal thing, but somehow, her mother seemed to still expect her to be the girl who had gotten on the Gambit all those years ago. Her father was different, but then again, he always had been. He understood that she had been through a lot and he knew that she was the Black Canary as well. Her dad knew that she could never just leave  _ that  _ part of her life behind. At the same time, she wanted to move on with her life, but that all depended on whether or not Nyssa could convince her father to release Sara from the vow she had taken.

Then, there was the fact that she was now a werewolf.

Sara knew she needed to adjust to the change and understand the extent of her powers and enhanced senses. She already knew the basics that they had been taught in Nanda Parbat, but it was a different thing to read about killing werewolves and applying the knowledge about them to herself. Throughout it all, Felicity had been by her side. She had helped her by being there when Sara talked to her father about what had happened to her and offered all the help she could give. It wasn’t difficult to see why Oliver had fallen in love with the blonde.

“Do you want to talk about it or continue another day?” Felicity asked. “We could go for coffee or something? Oliver and the others should be back any moment, but maybe we need a girl’s night?”

Sara hesitated slightly, but it was difficult to contain her smile. “I’d like to try again, if that’s okay?” she asked.

Felicity nodded, “Of course.”

Sara resumed her place on the training mat and closed her eyes. This time, she ignored the blindfold and just tool Felicity’s hands in hers. A minute or two passed as they both got situated and tried to relax.

_ “Tell me what you see, Sara,” _ Felicity's voice echoed inside her head again.

Sara scrunched up her nose, focusing.

_ “Show me what you see.” _

The instruction was clear this time and Sara’s breath hitched as she felt a slight tug inside of her chest. It was as if Felicity’s words triggered something inside of her, and she tried to remember exactly what it was that had happened that night. The memory of it flashed inside her head and she felt her head pulsating. She wasn’t sure if it was working at first, but then Felicity spoke again.

_ “I’m with you. You’re not alone.” _

A shaky breath fell from Sara’s lips as her mind was flooded with images. It was almost as if she was there again; on the dark streets of Starling City during the Siege. 

_ She was running as fast as she could, taking down hybrids from left to right. A wail was heard and she turned, her heart pounding at the sight of Roy fighting a giant hybrid all on his own. She ran towards the younger man, desperate to help him. It had been difficult, but somehow, she had gotten the hybrid’s attention and she had fought against him as well as she could. Then, just as she thought she had gotten the upper hand, the hybrid turned on her and bit her on her right side. Sara screamed out in pain as the hybrid’s canine teeth tore through her leather suit and her skin. The sharp fangs embedded themselves into her flesh and she felt warm blood spilling as the hybrid only clamped down harder. Her vision got dizzy, but she heard someone else call her name. She tried to focus, finding a spot in the distance as the hybrid threw her to the side. Nyssa. Something cold washed over her at the same time as Nyssa and her loyal League members came down on the hybrid. Sara’s head fell to the side and she saw a bright light. A loud bang echoed through the street and suddenly, Barry was there, manipulating the ground beneath them. The fire that was slowly spreading through the street grew for only a moment as Barry used the flames to keep the other hybrids away from them. His face was covered in soot, sweat and blood, but there was something fierce in his eyes that told Sara that the man wasn’t going to be giving up any time soon. Her eyelids felt heavy, but she was conscious long enough to realize that the cold she had felt came from Barry. The witch, warlock, or whatever the hell he wanted to be called, had built some kind of protective barrier out of ice around her and Roy. She hadn’t even realized it until he turned and looked at her. _

_ “Get her out of here,” Nyssa yelled. “Now!” _

_ Barry was by Sara’s side in less than a millisecond. Sara’s stomach turned when she felt herself being pulled into a cloud of light. The feeling was unlike anything she had ever felt before. One second she was bleeding in the street, hazy eyes taking in her lover as she fought monsters, and the next, she was in Barry’s arms and next to Roy. Then, a loud bang later and another bright flash, she was outside the hospital. _

Sara opened her eyes again, pulling herself out of her memory. She looked at Felicity, who wiped a tear from her cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Felicity said. “I know I wanted to teach you how to project images and memories to other pack members, but I don’t think I was ready to watch just how close both you and Roy came to dying.”

A sense of gratitude and love welled up inside of Sara. The fact that she and Felicity had come so far since the first time they met made her feel like she might actually be capable of change. There was acceptance in Felicity’s eyes and Sara felt no judgment from the other blonde. It made her feel bad that she had been so quick to jump to conclusions when it came to the hybrid. Now, after everything they had been through together, Sara was a werewolf and Felicity was an alpha. According to Felicity, it was only normal for Sara to be drawn to her, because betas usually needed the guidance and security that came from the alpha and the pack. That was one of the things that Sara hadn’t been able to get out of her mind:  _ the pack. _ They hadn’t had an official conversation about it, but from what Sara could tell, Felicity was more than willing to let Sara in. In fact, Felicity had insisted that Sara should come with her and Roy when they went to meet with some younger wolves who had helped them during the Siege. Sara had never gotten the chance to thank Sin and her friends for their help, so she had gone with Felicity without thought. When Sin and her friends had sensed Sara’s changed nature, she hadn’t really known how to act. It wasn’t as if she had learned the ways of the wolves in any other way than how to beat them in combat. They hadn’t decided on anything just yet, mostly because Felicity wasn’t sure whether she was meant to be leading a bigger pack or not. Sara knew that Felicity could handle it, but with everything else on their plate since the Siege, she didn’t know if Felicity was ready for it. Or at least she suspected that it was there that Felicity’s hesitation mostly laid.

“Am I a part of your pack?” Sara asked, not able to help the question from slipping out.

Felicity gave her a look, “Sara, you’re my friend and you’re family. Of course you’re a part of the pack.”

“ _ Your  _ pack,” Sara said pointedly. “It’s your pack, Felicity.”

Sara could see her biting her cheek. Felicity shrugged and then met Sara’s gaze again. “Do you think I can do it? Lead a pack of wolves, all by myself? It was another thing when it was just me and Roy, but now Sin and those other wolves want to join and then there’s you too, and I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” she quickly babbled.

“What does Oliver think?” Sara questioned.

“He thinks that I can do it, but I worry that if I devote myself solely to the pack as an alpha, I won’t have time to help him with the Arrow-stuff,” Felicity admitted.

“You’re worried you’ll stretch yourself thin,” Sara stated, nodding absentmindedly. There was a solution, of course, but she didn’t know whether Felicity would be acceptable of it. “You could always have Roy help you. He’s your beta, right? Couldn’t he take on some of the responsibility when it comes to the new wolves?”

“He could,” Felicity agreed, “but I kind of want him close to me and out on the streets, helping Oliver… But there might be something in what you’re saying.” She was looking at Sara in a way that made Sara wish she had learned how to tap into her alpha’s mind.

“What?” Sara asked.

“ _ You  _ could help me with Sin and the others,” Felicity grinned. “After I teach you everything I know, you could help maintain the contact between us and them. We can’t have them coming into the Foundry until it’s set up more properly, but we could still use their help to keep an eye on the streets.”

“To keep unruly Dark Ones from harming humans,” Sara nodded slowly. “You want me to check in on them every once in a while? Doesn’t being a part of a pack mean that we would have to meet up regularly or live together or whatever?”

“Not necessarily,” Felicity said. “It might have been like that ages ago, but today things are different. People, in general, have free will and the concept of it has developed among wolves as well over the past couple of centuries. Nowadays, werewolves can be part of a pack and only meet once a year, if necessary. Usually though, they just meet up on full moons to get through their transformations together and help each other out.”

“So we wouldn’t have to meet with them more than once a month?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “What about them accepting you as their alpha?”

“If they do, then they’ll ultimately know that they have my support and protection. If anything were to happen to them, I would be obligated to look into it. They would only have to swear me their allegiance and loyalty,” Felicity explained. “Look, you and Roy are a different thing. Roy already lives with me but we’ve talked things over and he wants to move into an apartment with Thea. Whether you decide to stay in Starling City or move on from here, you have to know that you’ll always be welcomed into the pack. As I said before, you’re family and you would have been even if you hadn’t become a werewolf.”

Sara’s eyes stung a little and she bit her lip to keep control of her emotions. “You have no idea how much that means to me,” she said.

Felicity smiled kindly, reaching for Sara’s hand. She squeezed it once, reassuringly, “I understand.”

And Sara could sense that she did.

“I’ll think about it, okay?” Sara said, knowing that she didn’t have an answer yet.

“Okay,” Felicity agreed. “For what it’s worth, I really hope you stay in Starling City with us for a while. We could use all the help we can get with the remodeling of the Foundry and planning Laurel and Tommy’s wedding.”

Sara groaned and rolled her eyes, “God, why do those two have to rush themselves?”

“Well, considering that Tommy was actually just thinking about eloping because things kept getting in the way of them tying the knot, I think I understand why Laurel would want to get it done with as soon as possible,” Felicity mused.

Sara was about to reply when she heard the code being entered for the Foundry doors. She and Felicity both stood up as Diggle, Roy and Oliver descended the stairs. Felicity blew out the candles and Sara helped her put the things they had used for their meditative training away. 

Roy still had a slight limb since the Siege, something which Sara had talked to him about. She hadn’t understood why he hasn't healed completely yet since he too was a werewolf, but according to Roy, he was going to get better after the next full moon. Felicity guessed that it might have had something to do with the fact that his leg had almost been completely shattered by the hybrid, which was why it was taking more time to heal. Sara could see on his face as he walked that he was still in pain too, but he kept insisting on going out patrolling with Oliver and Diggle. It was normal to want to feel useful, especially after just resting for a couple of weeks.

“Hey, you,” Felicity said as Oliver approached her. Sara smiled, lowering her head to give the two some privacy when Oliver leaned in to kiss Felicity gently. The two of them were just  _ radiating  _ love, something which Sara found absolutely adorable.

“Hey,” Oliver said, voice hoarse. His eyes were shining as he looked down into his mate’s eyes and Sara wanted to throw up, because  _ goddamn it, could they stop being so cute? _

Felicity glanced up at her, face breaking out into a wide grin.

“I hear you,” Roy said from across the room, raising his water bottle in Sara’s direction. Sara looked at Felicity again, who couldn’t seem to hold in her laughter.

“You projected that last thought pretty strongly,” she explained.

The thought of her being able to communicate with Felicity and Roy through her mind was exciting, in a way. Things like these had always fascinated Sara when she had been younger, but she had never understood the extent of pack bonds. She knew that her abilities might be a bit heightened considering that she had been turned into a wolf and not  _ born,  _ but Felicity assured her that with time, she would learn to control them better. The whole projecting thoughts thing would also probably fade a bit with time and mainly work during full moons or when they were in wolf form.

“So, ready to go home yet?” Felicity asked Oliver, brushing back some of his sweaty hair from his forehead.

“I… I think I might stay for a little while,” Oliver said, sounding almost hesitant. He looked toward the bathroom that Diggle had disappeared into, and Sara could see on Felicity’s face that she understood what her mate was getting at.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be at the apartment,” Felicity told him, leaning up on her toes to kiss him again. Sara could feel the worry that Felicity was trying to hide. She was clearly trying to be supportive, but there was some kind of lingering concern as she took Oliver in. The conflicting emotion made Sara frown, but she covered it once Felicity looked over at her.

“How about the three of us go get a late night snack at Big Belly Burger and then I’ll drive you guys home,” Felicity suggested.

“Didn’t you crash your car?” Sara pointed out.

“Well, yes, but that was months ago and I kind of took Oliver’s out from the garage after asking if I could borrow it,” Felicity admitted sheepishly. “Besides, I was being kidnapped at the time, so it’s not like I was a bad driver and  _ accidentally  _ crashed my car.”

“You let her take the  _ Porsche _ ?” Sara gaped at Oliver, who shot her a look.

“Actually, she got the  _ Bentley _ ,” he deadpanned. “Besides, what’s mine is hers. Right?”

“Ditto,” Felicity said, hands clapping together. “But we should really, really, really consider me using my savings to buy my own car. I don’t want people to start writing stuff about you being my sugar daddy.”

Sara looked at Roy who widened his eyes dramatically and mouthed, ‘ _ sugar daddy _ ’, in her direction. Sara couldn’t help but snort.

“Okay, now that  _ that’s  _ settled,” Sara said, walking up to Felicity. She hooked their elbows together and looked at the other blonde. “You said something about a Big Belly Buster?”

“I never specifically mentioned what you should order, but I suppose a Buster is as good as anything really,” Felicity shrugged. She leaned up and kissed Oliver one more time and then pulled Sara along. Roy said goodnight to Oliver and followed behind them up the stairs. Sara tried her best not to think too much about what had Felicity so conflicted and Oliver so down. She knew that the two of them would resolve it, whatever it was, because they were without a doubt one of the strongest couples she had met. Besides, it looked like Oliver really needed a moment with Diggle to clear his head and after everything he had been through, they all owed it to him to let him have that.

As they got into the car, Sara looked over at Felicity again, “Hey?”

“What?” Felicity asked.

“It’s going to be okay,” Sara said, trying to convey how much she meant it.

Felicity smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I know it will.”

-§-

When Diggle got out of the bathroom, he was met with Oliver repeatedly hitting one of the dummies in the training area. He resisted the urge to sigh because he could see the tension that was set in Oliver’s shoulders. It had been that way ever since the Siege, but Diggle hadn’t pressed the younger man to reveal anything he wasn’t ready for. He had known deep down that Oliver would come to him if he needed him. Besides, Oliver had Felicity too, although Diggle wasn’t sure that the two of them had had the time to talk about whatever it was that was bothering Oliver.

“Shower’s yours, if you want it,” Diggle said, resting the towel around his shoulders as he approached Oliver.

Oliver got another hard punch in on the dummy and then turned toward Diggle. His breathing was hard and his cheeks were flushed, a frown on his face as if he had been in deep thought.

“I figured you would go home with Felicity and the others,” Diggle continued when Oliver didn’t speak. It wasn’t a question.

“I… I was wondering if we could talk?” Oliver said, sounding hesitant. He still wasn’t really looking at Diggle, but Diggle tried once again not to push.

“Of course, Oliver,” Diggle said. “Lyla’s out of town for an A.R.G.U.S. mission, so I’m not in a hurry to get home.”

“How is she?” Oliver wondered.

“Good,” Diggle answered. “Morning sickness is a bitch, but she’s taking it like a champ.” Oliver nodded absentmindedly and this time Diggle couldn’t keep quiet. “What’s going on, Oliver?”

He watched as his friend took a few steps back from the dummy. Oliver crossed his arms and Diggle recognized the defensive move for what it was. “Do you remember Russia?” Oliver asked, making Diggle pause.

It had been months since Russia. In fact, Diggle was almost certain that it had been over a year now. He remembered everything about the mission he had pulled Oliver and Felicity into, how desperate he had been to save Lyla from the gulag she had been kept in. Diggle knew though, that Oliver was probably not talking about that, but rather what he had done during their trip.

“I remember,” Diggle said, wary of whatever it was that Oliver was going to say now. It was no secret that Oliver had messed up back then and it had caused a rift in their team for a long while. Back then, Diggle hadn’t understood how Oliver could have slept with Isabel after kissing Felicity, especially considering that it was so clear that he was in love with the blonde. Diggle had hated the pain he had seen in Felicity but he had also loathed the self-hatred that he had seen in Oliver whenever Felicity had walked away from him. It had been a difficult time for them all because the distance between Oliver and Felicity had completely messed up the team’s dynamics.

Now Diggle watched as Oliver struggled once again. The younger man ran his fingers through his hair, sighing deeply before covering his face. Diggle approached him slowly, “What’s the matter, Oliver?” 

“When… When Felicity and I fought Slade and Isabel,” Oliver started, pressing his fingers to his temples, “we learned something about Russia.” Diggle waited patiently for Oliver to continue, but it seemed as if Oliver was still trying to choose the right words. His fingers were still firmly pressed against his temples and Diggle watched him as he seemed to fight off a major headache.

“Oliver, you don’t have to–”

“Yes, I do,” Oliver interrupted. “I have to talk about this because it’s been over two weeks and I haven’t been able to figure out how I feel about it.”

Diggle stayed quiet. It was clear that this was something that had been bothering Oliver ever since the Siege. Hadn’t he talked to Felicity about whatever it was? Was that why he had come to Diggle first, because he needed to sort through his feelings and talk to his friend before talking to her?

“When Isabel approached me in the bar, I was in such a low place,” Oliver tried again. “I had just rejected Felicity, which made me feel broken, but my mind kept telling me that we  _ couldn’t  _ be together… Isabel sensed that I was off, and I know that I acted of my own free will when I took her up to my room.”

It was difficult to listen to this, but Diggle didn’t want to stop Oliver now that he was finally talking. Seeing his friend, his  _ brother _ , in such a low and confused state made him want to be there for him more than ever.

“I was so confused, Dig,” Oliver said, voice thicker than before. “When we got to the room, everything sort of became hazy, but I always blamed it on the alcohol.”

“What are you trying to tell me, Oliver?” Diggle said when he saw Oliver’s hesitation.

“Isabel told me and Felicity that she… That she had to  _ convince  _ me to stay,” he said.

For a moment, Diggle didn’t really understand what Oliver was telling him. He frowned, but there was a bad feeling in his gut and the hair on his arms rose as Oliver met his gaze once more.

“She implied that she compelled me to stay, because she knew that I had been about to pull away from her,” Oliver clarified and the pain in his eyes made Diggle want to punch through a wall. “I don’t even remember, Dig. That’s the worst part. I remember thinking I had made a mistake when I took her with me, but somehow we still ended up in bed. After that, everything is just a big blur and I– What am I even supposed to feel about that?”

Diggle wished that he had been there with Oliver and Felicity when they had fought off Slade and Isabel. If he had been, he would have most likely taken a shot at the monster himself, aiming for her head. It wouldn’t have solved anything, of course, because they couldn’t go back and change the past. However, it would have made him feel a bit better probably, because what Isabel had implied, definitely sounded like she had taken advantage of Oliver in the vilest way possible.

“I’m sorry,” Diggle found himself saying. He put a hand on Oliver’s shoulder and Oliver shut his eyes, head lowering. “I understand that this is difficult for you, Oliver, and I get why you’re confused. Have you talked to Felicity about it yet?”

“I haven’t, but I know that she’s been giving me time to gather my thoughts on it,” Oliver confessed. “I see it on her face every time my mind goes there. Whenever I think about Russia, she senses the change in me and I can see the way her face falls.”

“That’s because it breaks her heart,” Diggle said, no doubt in his voice. “Oliver, I know that the worst thing about the situation is probably the fact that you don’t fully know exactly what happened that night. If Isabel really did compel you to stay, then that would also explain the gaps in your memory. She probably took some of the details away, just to mess with you even more.”

“I hate her, Dig,” Oliver growled. “I hate her with every fiber of my being. She fucked my head up, but I can’t even use that as an excuse because I  _ know  _ that I went there willingly.”

“But what happened  _ after  _ is what matters, and you don’t even know that,” Diggle insisted. “You were messed up, man, you said so yourself. Yes, it might not have been the best decision to leave the bar with her, but if what she said is true and you came to your senses and didn’t want anything to do with her, you need to accept that she mistreated you.” Diggle squeezed Oliver’s shoulder. “You can’t let her still mess with you. She’s locked up in a place where she won’t see the sun until her miserable life is over and you’re free. You and Felicity have a chance to help one another move on and be happy, which is all that should matter now that we’ve stopped Isabel,” Diggle said. “It’s going to be hard, but I am one hundred percent convinced that if anyone can work through anything, it’s you and Felicity. I’m here for you, man,  _ always.  _ If you decide to talk to Tommy about it, I know he will be too. Honestly, though? You have a literal soulmate who would do anything to see you happy again. You need to talk to Felicity, because I know that that will help you more than anything I could ever say.”

Oliver seemed to think about it for a moment and Diggle didn’t continue, because he knew that Oliver needed to process his words. Diggle knew without a doubt that he would be there for Oliver if he ever needed to talk, but at the same time, there was no one who would understand the younger man better than Felicity. The two of them literally had a soul bond, which meant that they could feel whatever the other one was feeling. A part of Diggle wondered whether Oliver’s torn feelings on the whole situation had to do with the fact that he still felt guilty about what had happened.

“I’ll talk to her,” Oliver finally said. “I’ve always known that I needed to, but I don’t think I was ready yet…”

“Felicity isn’t going to pressure you, Oliver,” Diggle reminded him. “Whenever you’re ready, she’ll be too.” Once again, he squeezed his shoulder and this time, a hesitant smile appeared on Oliver’s face and the tension that had been there seemed to release a little.

“Thank you, John,” Oliver said.

He didn’t need to say anything other than that.

“Anytime, Oliver,” Diggle nodded. “Anytime.”

-§-

Felicity leaned back against the headboard of their bed after fluffing the pillow she had placed behind her back. She looked at the time on her computer, sighing to herself when she realized it was way past midnight and Oliver hadn’t come home yet. His talk with Diggle must have run long, but she couldn’t hold that against him. Ever since the Siege, Oliver had been struggling to accept what Isabel had revealed about Russia. Felicity’s own feelings were consumed with anger and sadness over the way that her mate had been treated, and she wished there was more she could do to stop him from hurting. However, Felicity understood that Oliver needed time and because of that, she had done nothing more than give him her silent support every night they went to bed or whenever he momentarily lost focus. There had been a lot of things that needed fixing around the city, and keeping the streets clean from criminals and Dark Ones had been taking up a lot of their time. She knew that if he wanted to talk about the things that had happened, he would come to her when he was ready.

Yet again, Felicity sighed, fingers moving quickly over the keyboard as she went over the last couple of points that had been made during Queen Consolidated’s crisis meeting. She and Oliver had both attended, of course, especially considering that most board members wanted to discuss the fact that neither one of them had been aware of Isabel’s plans to terrorize the city. Quentin’s statement at the press conference had covered up the existence of Dark Ones, but some of the board members wanted to know if Oliver had somehow been aware of Isabel’s plans when he had bought her out of the company. Oliver had denied it, at first, but Walter and Moira had been present too and they had shared that Oliver had followed his gut instinct. The others around the table had been glad to learn that their CEO could follow his instincts and make the right choices for the company, and those who had been opposed to him being appointed CEO, officially stated that he had their support. It was then that Oliver told them that he wouldn’t have been able to get Isabel out of the company without Felicity’s help. Of course, that wasn’t the whole truth, because Oliver had kicked Isabel out all on his own. He had continued though, and shared that Felicity had managed to track down some offshore accounts that Isabel had set up when she had embezzled from the firm. Walter and Moira had stood up as well, showing their support for Felicity and her computer skills. Somehow, that meeting had ended with her being voted into the position as the new head of the Applied Science Division.

The whole department was going to be rebuilt after the Siege, because it seemed as though Isabel truly had taken it personally when she had been bought out. Some of her hybrids had been sent straight to Queen Consolidated to destroy everything they found in their path. Applied Sciences had taken the most of the attack, probably because Isabel had thought that might have been where they had developed the cure. Now, two weeks later, the company was starting to get back on its feet and all board members were contributing to various charities around Starling City to return their home to its former glory.

Felicity’s ears perked up at the sound of the key turning. She paused, listening intently to Oliver as he walked inside. He didn’t drag his feet, he never did, but it told her that despite the emotional turmoil she could sense from him, he wasn’t completely broken from it. She knew that he was tired though, so she wasn’t sure whether he would try to talk to her about it all tonight.

The door to the bedroom opened and Oliver stepped inside, stopping only for a moment when he saw her on the bed. He kept his eyes on her when he removed his shoes and Felicity closed her laptop, putting it on her side table. She watched him silently as he removed his socks and pulled his shirt over his head. Oliver unbuckled his belt and Felicity stared at him wordlessly, wondering what was running through his mind. He pulled the belt out of the loops in his jeans and lowered them as well, folding them neatly before placing them on the armchair in the corner of the room. Felicity patiently waited, but she couldn’t help but shift on the bed and lick her lips at the sight of him. They hadn’t had sex since before the Siege and seeing Oliver in just his boxers was doing things to her, as always. He slept like that every night and Felicity wasn’t exactly wearing pajamas either. Still, holding one another throughout the nights had been the only intimacy they had needed. It didn’t mean that Felicity’s temperature didn’t spike whenever she saw him undress.

Oliver sat down on his side of the bed, closest to the door. His back was to Felicity and she could feel that he was still deep in thought, especially when he covered his face with his hands.

Felicity scooted closer, putting her hand between his shoulder blades. “Are you okay?” she asked, voice low.

“I’m a little better,” he said, sounding earnest. “I talk to Dig about what Isabel said.”

“Yeah?” She moved closer to him. “What did Dig say?”

“He basically told me that I should talk to you too,” Oliver said. “He understands why I feel the way I do. Not knowing for real what happened that night is eating me up from the inside. Diggle suspects that was part of why Isabel told us about the compulsion, to mess with us even if she lost.”

“Makes sense…” Felicity mumbled, softly kissing his shoulder as she leaned against him.

“Felicity.” Oliver raised his hand and covered hers that rested on his upper arm. “I don’t want to live in the past anymore. I want to be able to move forward. Isabel… She put a wrench in my mind when she told us about the compulsion. A part of me wants to just let it go and move on, but another part can’t accept what happened.” Felicity could sense his frustration and she understood what he was feeling. She had suffered the consequences of compulsion herself when her memories had been altered before her escape. With Nyssa’s help, she had recovered some of them, but she still remembered how infuriating it had been to realize that someone had messed with her head like that.

“I don’t know what to do, Felicity,” Oliver said, leaning into her.

Felicity wrapped her arms around him. She held on, wanting to give him all the support she could. “Oliver, you’re one of the strongest people I know and I’m fully convinced that you’ll get through this,” she told him. “ _ We’ll  _ get through it together and put it all behind us.”

“Before I knew, I didn’t have a problem with anything other than the fact that I had slept with her,” Oliver admitted. “I knew I had made a mistake, but that was all I thought it was. Knowing that she might have compelled me to stay when I had been about to leave… I feel dirty and used in a way that I’ve never felt before. It bothers me, because I know I shouldn’t let her get under my skin like this, yet it makes me sick.”

Felicity felt tears prick her eyes. God, she loved this man more than anything in the world and to hear him suffer like this because of what some psychotic bitch had done to him… “I’m so sorry, Oliver,” she said. “I know we don’t know exactly what happened, but we know that Isabel wanted to break you and maybe, this was a part of that, like Diggle said.”

“She wanted to break  _ us,  _ Felicity,” Oliver said. “She knew that what happened in Russia ruined the relationship we had built until then and now that we’ve moved on from it, she wanted to throw it back into our face. She used my fucked up past to mess with my head and I’m afraid that she’s succeeding.”

“No,” Felicity shook her head, pulling back from the embrace. “I don’t accept that and neither should you. You aren’t the person that you were before and whatever happened in Russia, I know that we can work through it once again. I forgave you and I love you no matter what. We don’t know what happened, but we can prove her wrong by not letting her mess with us anymore.”

“How do you know we can do that?” Oliver asked, meeting her gaze.

“Because I know us,” Felicity answered. “I know  _ you _ . My love, my everything… My soulmate.” She gently brushed her fingers over his cheek. Oliver’s eyes closed at the sensation and he leaned into her touch. “Isabel is locked up and she’s never getting out. She can’t hurt you anymore and she doesn’t hold any power over us. However long you need to work through this, you have to know that I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Oliver leaned forward again and rested his forehead against hers, inhaling shakily. “I love you. I don’t want you to doubt that,” he said.

“I could never doubt that,” she said, raising his hand to her lips. As she kissed his fingertips softly, Oliver lifted his hand to touch her cheek, just like she had done to his.

Moving in, he kissed her softly, like he always did, but Felicity’s heart soared because she could feel the shift inside of him. He was still going through it, but she had no doubt in her mind that he would come out the other side stronger than before. She didn’t doubt  _ them _ , and that had been what Oliver had needed to heat in this moment.

“I’m with you,” she murmured against his lips. “Are you with me?”

Oliver kissed her again, a bit harder this time as his fingers tangled in her hair, “Always.”

-§-

It was the featherlight touch of her fingertips that woke him from his slumber. The silence in the room was comforting, enough so to only make him shift a little on the bed and quickly snooze off again. Having her close to him was a comfort unlike any other and Oliver never wanted to lose that feeling. In his still hazy state, his arm curled around her small frame and he pulled her closer, burying his nose in her hair, smelling her familiar shampoo. Her lips pressed against his shoulder and he could feel the way that they stretched into a wide smile. She shook a little, trying to keep the laughter in and Oliver’s own lips broke out into a smile he couldn’t contain.

His eyes opened slowly and he found that she was already staring at him.

“Aren’t you the one who pointed out that it was scary when people stare at someone who is sleeping?” he asked, his voice sleep-ridden.

“I am,” Felicity confirmed. “You looked so comfortable though, so I couldn’t resist.”

Oliver only hummed, leaning in closer so that he could nuzzle against her again as they let the silence surround them once more. It was true, what she said. Felicity had always managed to help keep the nightmares away, but this was the first morning in two months time that his thoughts hadn’t instantly traveled to the Siege or Russia. Perhaps it had something to do with what day it was, or maybe his mind had just decided for him that it was time to let go. Nevertheless, Oliver was awake and he had slept through the night with no interruptions. His mind was clear and his heart didn’t clench painfully at what Isabel had told them that night in the power plant.

“Did you sleep well?” he found himself asking Felicity.

She raised her eyebrow at him, grin still in place. “I always sleep well when I’m by your side,” she said and he knew that she was purposely trying to be cheesy.

Oliver let out a laugh before putting his hand on her shoulder, pushing her back a little as he rolled on top of her. Felicity’s arms instantly wrapped around him, her hands resting on the burn marks on his lower back. He leaned down and kissed her, murmuring a soft, “Good morning,” against her lips.

Felicity’s hips rolled against his and he knew that it was only a natural reaction for her. He groaned against her throat, feeling his blood rush south at the movement that caused his body to react.

“Good morning,” Felicity grinned back, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Despite the playful nature of the movement, Oliver knew that Felicity wasn’t going to push him. In the two months since the Siege, they hadn’t done anything other than hold one another throughout the nights. He knew that no matter how frustrated either of them got or how hard he sometimes woke up, he just wasn’t ready for sex.

Or at least he hadn’t been.

This morning, waking up relaxed and well rested had him thinking in other ways. During these past two months he had taken time to think about everything that had happened and he had made the choice to try and move forward. Isabel was behind bars and so was Slade. They didn’t know how much of Slade’s anger had stemmed from the mirakuru and how much of it had truly been his own actions, but Oliver was in contact with the people who were monitoring Slade regularly in his cell.

Isabel wasn’t going to get out as long as she lived and she would never be able to touch neither Felicity nor him ever again. He had his friends and his family and they had all respected his boundaries and need for time. Today was a happy day for them all and for the first time since the Siege, Oliver truly felt like it might be the first step to brighter days.

“Are you ready for today?” he found himself asking Felicity.

“Why are you asking me that?” Felicity questioned. “It’s not like we’re the ones getting married.”

Somehow, the mention of marriage and the two of them warmed his heart. The thoughts that he had had months ago, before the Siege and Isabel, reappeared; images of Felicity clad in white walking down the aisle toward him flashed through his mind once more. His breath hitched and he met Felicity’s warm gaze, knowing that she might be able to sense what he had been thinking about.

“One day,” she said and he really didn’t need anything other than that.

Knowing that they had a future after everything that they had been through, after all the struggles they had faced… It made him believe in them even stronger than he had before. For the first time in two months, Oliver found himself wanting to tear off the shirt that Felicity wore to bed and just ravish her completely. There hadn’t been a day that his body hadn’t missed the physical aspect of their relationship, but his mind and soul hadn’t been ready for it. There had been too much going on in both of their heads. While Oliver had been coming to terms with what had happened in Russia, Felicity herself had struggled with her choice on whether or not to take the cure. They had talked about it several times and Oliver had made sure that she knew that just as she supported him, she had his support as well. Felicity’s struggle mainly laid in the fact that she had been turned into a hybrid against her will. Yet, as the months had turned into years, she had gotten used to her powers and she had never struggled with bloodlust in the way that Roy had when he had been hopped up on mirakuru. Felicity hadn’t brought it up in a while now, but Oliver sometimes caught her staring at the vial that Barry had prepared for her in case she decided to take the cure. Oliver knew that being there for her whenever she decided on what to do was all that she needed for him. She had to make the choice for herself and not think about what others might want her to do.

“As much as I love having you on top of me, we need to start getting ready for the wedding,” Felicity said, bringing him out of his thoughts. Her hands were roaming his bare back and Oliver shuddered against her, softly kissing jaw, moving down to her throat. A sound fell from Felicity’s lips that made him twitch in his boxers, but he knew that what she was saying was true. He was supposed to be Tommy’s best man today and there were some things that he had to help coordinate before the actual ceremony.

“Just so you know,” he said, thrusting against her once to make her feel all of him. “Tonight, when we get home, I’m going to strip you naked and take my time exploring every inch of you like it’s our first time. Is that all right with you?”

Felicity let out a moan, “Goddamn it, Oliver. How am I supposed to keep a clear mind when you’ll be prancing around in a suit all day.”

“I don’t prance,” he said, his mind going to a conversation they had had months ago. It made him smile again and he brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen onto Felicity’s face. “So, you okay with that?” he asked again.

“I am so,  _ so _ okay with that,” Felicity said. “I am more than okay with that.”

“Good,” he kissed her again before moving off of her, “because I’ll be wearing suspenders.”

He hurried toward the bathroom, narrowly escaping the pillow that Felicity threw in his direction.

“Now that’s just  _ rude! _ ” she called after him and Oliver couldn’t help the laugh that fell from his lips, or the lightness he felt in his chest for the first time in what felt like forever.

-§-

Oliver’s hand rested on the small of her back as they raised their champagne flutes in honor of Laurel and Tommy. Felicity took a sip after Oliver’s best man speech, looking toward him just as he leaned down and softly kissed her. She couldn’t help the sigh that fell from her lips, happy and content. The ceremony had been wonderful and for once in their life, there hadn’t been any unexpected surprises. Felicity had smiled through tears as she watched Laurel walk down the aisle with Detective Lance by her side. The bride had been beautiful, yes, though it was the pure happiness on Tommy’s face and the tears in his eyes that had made Felicity shed a few tears herself. After so many months, after so much time, Tommy had finally gotten to marry the woman of his dreams. While the two of them had been exchanging their vows, promising to love and hold one another until the day death did them part, Felicity’s eyes had locked with Oliver’s. Her heart had hammered away inside her chest and she had instantly seen the way that Oliver’s own eyes darkened slightly. She had felt warm and suppressed the urge to fan herself because she could hardly contain herself for what was to come tonight when they returned home. Roy had stepped on her foot though, hissing under his breath that he didn’t need to hear her thoughts to pick up on the sexual tension that she and Oliver were apparently emitting. She had only growled under her breath and Roy had shrugged dismissively, not even ashamed of himself for pointing it out.

Now, after Oliver had finished his speech, they watched as Tommy and Laurel shared their first dance as husband and wife. Oliver stepped away from her slightly and Felicity shifted, instantly gravitating toward him, making him smile.

He held out his hand to her, “May I have this dance?”

Felicity smiled, her eyes twinkling as Oliver pulled her into his arms and they started swaying lightly. For a good while, they moved slowly, their eyes staying connected throughout the song. Oliver’s hands were warm on her waist before he took her hands, twirling her once. Felicity laughed, her hands pressing against his chest as he lowered her down, dipping her once and lingering for a moment before pulling her back up. Her cheeks were flushed, she knew, because she could feel some of the people around them watching them while others whispered. She pressed her forehead against Oliver’s chest, feeling his heartbeat against her palms as Oliver leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. From the side, she could see Moira and Walter watching them. There was a light in Moira’s eyes as she observed them, silently raising her glass in their direction. Felicity only smiled in return and then turned her focus back to Oliver.

After dancing for a while, Roy and Thea approached them in hopes of switching partners. Felicity easily moved over to Roy’s arms, but not before pressing a lingering kiss to Oliver’s lips. She could see it in his eyes that he too could hardly wait for them to go home.

“How are you doing?” Roy asked after they swayed for a while. 

“Fine,” Felicity shrugged. “Your leg?”

“It healed perfectly after the last full moon,” Roy confirmed. “Sometimes I still feel a twinge though, but I think it’s more in my head than anything else.”

They danced a little more and then walked away from the dance floor. Felicity shot a glance in Oliver and Thea’s direction, but the siblings were talking about something and didn’t seem to pay attention to anyone else. Felicity and Roy made their way over to the bar, getting themselves something to drink.

“So,” Roy drawled. “Have you made a decision yet?” He drank directly from his beer bottle, raising an eyebrow at Felicity in question.

Felicity sipped from her glass of wine. “Are you asking me whether I’ll take the cure or not?” Felicity wondered.

“I think that was implied, considering that you’ve been mulling over it for two months now,” Roy replied. “It’s a yes or no question, Felicity. You know that no one will judge you if you decide against taking it.”

“Hm…” Felicity pressed her lips together. “I know that. There’s just been so much on our plate lately. I feel like I haven’t been able to properly relax until tonight and… I don’t know, maybe I want to hold on to this feeling a bit longer before I make a choice.”

“I don’t know what conversation I just walked into, and I’m sorry for interrupting, but I need a moment with Ms. Smoak,” Quentin Lance said as he approached them. Roy nodded, sending a meaningful look toward Felicity before excusing himself.

Felicity turned to look at Lance, grateful for the interruption for once. “Detective Lance,” she said, “how many times have I told you to call me Felicity?”

“About as many as I’ve asked you to call me Quentin,” he quipped, making her let out a laugh.

“Congratulations on your daughter getting married,” Felicity said politely.

“Yeah, thanks,” Lance said. “I had my doubts about Merlyn, but the young man proved himself to be loyal.” Lance moved so that he could stand next to Felicity. They looked toward Tommy and Laurel who were still dancing, but Felicity’s eyes quickly moved toward Oliver and Thea yet again. “Your boy has been busy,” Quentin pointed out. “These past two months we’ve made more arrests with the Arrow’s help than ever before. The crime rates in the Glades have lowered immensely and the city is slowly returning to its former glory.”

“Careful, Detective,” Felicity said. “You’re starting to sound proud.”

Lance snorted before shaking his head, “Well, I don’t think I’ll be ready to tell  _ him  _ that yet, but  _ I am. _ ”

Felicity looked at him and he met her gaze head-on. There was no wavering, he meant what he said and somehow, Felicity knew that it would mean the world to Oliver to know that he really had Lance’s support after everything they had been through.

“Thank you, Quentin,” Felicity breathed out.

“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded dismissively. “I also wanted to thank you, for everything you’ve done for Sara. I know that it’s been difficult for her to adjust to her new… nature, but she told me that you taking her in has helped a lot.”

“Sara’s family to me,” Felicity said. “So are you.”

“I hope you know that goes both ways,” Lance told her and Felicity smiled at him gently. “That’s why I feel like I should tell you that there have been a lot of calls from reporters coming into the station. They keep asking whether or not we’ve figured out who the madman responsible for the Siege was talking about when he mentioned the White Wolf.”

Felicity’s smile dropped and she turned toward Lance. “Why haven’t I heard anything about this before?” she asked.

“They have been keeping it all on the down-low, wanting to snoop and see if there really is a story there,” Lance told her. “Mostly, they are just speculating, asking people on the streets what they think.”

“And what do they think?” Felicity frowned.

“Some think it was a code name for someone on the Arrow’s team,” Lance shared. “That of course had the reporters questioning whether the Arrow is working alone or not. Other, think that the White Wolf is the Arrow’s protector or something like that. Then there are those who say that it’s his secret lover.” Felicity’s cheeks warmed and she looked away from Lance. He cleared his throat before continuing, “They don’t have anything concrete, Felicity. They are only rumors and no one knows anything for sure about the Arrow’s identity, which makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly who or what the White Wolf is. Your secret is safe.”

“Thank you for sharing this,” Felicity said. “You know that I’ll have to inform the rest of my team of this.”

“Of course,” he nodded. “That’s why I decided to tell you. The buzz has been getting louder among the people in the city, which is why the reporters have started to investigate more on the matter. I’m pretty sure it will all die down eventually.”

Felicity thanked him yet again before excusing herself. She walked over the dance floor toward Oliver, who turned toward her the moment he felt her presence. He said something to Thea before nodding curtly and moving in Felicity’s direction. He met her halfway, his hand finding her elbow as he lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “How do you feel about getting out of here?”

“I feel like you read my mind,” Felicity replied, taking the arm he offered as he led her out of the room.

-§-

Oliver stood behind Felicity as she unlocked the front door and made her way inside. Her heels clicked against the floor and he took in the burgundy dress she wore. It clung to her in all the right places, flaring out just above her knees. The material was silky and as they had danced together tonight, he had felt as if there was hardly anything separating her skin from his.

Oliver tried to clear his mind. Before he could make good on his promise, he knew that they needed to discuss whatever it was that had Felicity so deep in thought. Then, there was also the discussion he’d had with Thea, while they had been dancing.

He followed Felicity into their bedroom, closing the door behind himself despite the fact that Roy didn’t live there anymore. He had taken up a permanent stay in the Queen Mansion. It had taken some arguing on Thea’s part to make it happen, but once his mother had seen that there was no way to separate the young mates, she had given in. Since Oliver himself had been staying with Felicity, he didn’t see a problem with having someone with enhanced senses protecting the rest of his family.

Felicity walked over to the small desk and Oliver leaned back against the door, tugging at his bow-tie to loosen it up. He watched her as she opened the lowest drawer. The move made her dress stretch over her ass in a way that made his fingers itch to just hold on to her.

But he couldn’t… At least not  _ yet. _

Felicity picked up the small wooden box and closed the drawer before walking over to the bed. She sat down and looked up at Oliver expectantly. He pushed himself off of the door and removed his shoes before joining her, sitting down next to her.

“Did you know about the tabloids?” Felicity asked.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at her. “I think you’ll have to be a bit more specific, Felicity,” he told her.

“The gossip magazines and other more professional journalists all over Starling City who are trying to figure out who the White Wolf is,” she clarified, fingers moving over the lid of the box.

“You know I don’t pay attention to those things anymore… They wouldn’t be able to figure anything out either way,” Oliver said.

“Maybe,” Felicity nodded slowly. “It was a bit of a shock though, when Lance told me about it tonight. It made me realize that I’ve been so focused on everything else that I didn’t even notice that there were people out there who were actively trying to get to the truth about me. Of course, they don’t know it’s  _ me  _ that they’re trying to figure out, but they are apparently speculating on whether or not the White Wolf is the Arrow’s lover, so–”

“ _ Fe-li-ci-ty _ .”

She pressed her lips together and Oliver watched as her thumbs moved over the wooden box in her hands. “They are trying to figure me out, Oliver,” she said again. “It’s something I’ve been trying to do myself since the Siege.”

“I know,” Oliver said, his hand covering hers. “I know that I haven’t been the only one soul-searching.”

Felicity turned toward him, blonde unruly locks of hair slipping from her perfectly imperfect updo. “I’ve made my decision, I think, although I’d really like to hear what you have to say about it too,” she said, opening the box. Inside, the vial filled with the cure to her hybridism laid and Oliver met her hard stare as he waited for her to continue. “I know that becoming a hybrid wasn’t my choice,” she started. “For the longest time, I hated myself for being weak and letting the Master do this to me. After I was turned, a part of me just didn’t want to accept the fact that I was more powerful than before. Despite lacking the bloodlust, I still saw myself as weak for being something that hadn’t been a part of my nature.”

Oliver listened intently, his hand still covering hers. He wanted to give her all the comfort he could while still giving her however much time she needed to get her words out.

“When I joined you and Diggle, I was still struggling to accept what I had been turned into,” Felicity continued. “After a while though, working with you guys and getting to use my enhanced powers for something good, made me feel… Better, I guess. I started finding my place in the world, my purpose, and that made me feel good, Oliver. I felt guilty though, because there I was, using powers that had been forced upon me to try and make Starling a better place.”

“I’m sure I didn’t help,” Oliver said. “Being the way I was, judging you for what you were… I’m sorry for that.”

“That’s in the past,” Felicity said, her eyes shining as she looked at him. There was a small tug on her lips, almost as if she couldn’t help but smile at his words. “To be honest, the way that we were toward one another in the beginning just proves how much things can change with time. We started off on the wrong foot and then, a year and some time later, we figure out that we’re soulmates. Talk about twist of fate.”

“I think a part of me might have always known,” Oliver admitted. “When I got that first message from you, telling me to find you… There was this unexplainable  _ need  _ in every cell of my body to just figure out the mystery that was Felicity Smoak.” He raised his hand to her cheek, thumb gently caressing her over the blush that appeared at his words. “I will forever be grateful for finding you. I’ll always be thankful for everything you’ve taught me and the way you opened my eyes. About the Dark World and the real world, but most importantly, about myself. Without you, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

“Oliver…”

“No, please, just let me say this and then you can continue,” he interrupted her. “I talked a little to Thea tonight. We talked a bit about everything that has been going on with me and the things I’ve gone through since I returned to Starling City. I was spiraling, Felicity, and I know that now. Everything was a mission or a hunt to me and I didn’t even see it until you made me face some hard truths.” Oliver wet his lips, clearing his throat. His emotions were getting the better of him, but she had to know, especially tonight. He already suspected what she wanted to tell him, but he wanted her to know exactly how much she meant to him and how having her with him had ultimately saved his life.

“Having you on the team, fighting with you almost every day gave me some kind of– I don’t know–  _ purpose _ ,” Oliver explained. “My life wasn’t just about killing Dark Ones or keeping people safe, I wanted to figure out who you were and what your secret agenda was. That night, when I took you home, when you couldn’t sleep? It was the first time the two of us really  _ talked _ and I saw something in you that I hadn’t expected. After trying to hate you for so long, I just realized that– That I actually cared about you and what happened to you, all along.”

A tear slipped from the corner of Felicity’s eye and Oliver gently brushed it away. He leaned into her and she met him halfway, pressing their lips together for just a moment before pulling back again.

“I cared about you long before I found out we were mates,” Oliver said. “I think that deep down, I might have loved you from the first moment I saw you, but I was too stubborn to see it or accept it for what it was.” He kissed her again and Felicity shuddered against him. “I want you to know, that no matter what your choice is, that will  _ not  _ change. Despite my denial in the beginning of our relationship, I know now that I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. You saved my life the night that we met, not just from those wolves, but from myself too, simply by coming into my life. I loved you then, I love you now, and no matter what choice you make, I will keep loving you because you’re  _ you. _ ”

Felicity sniffed, not even bothering to wipe her tears away as she closed the distance between them. Oliver felt her move her hands away momentarily, probably putting the box on the bed next to her before she leaned into him completely and raised both hands to his face. She deepened the kiss and he opened his mouth willingly, letting her tongue stroke his and explore freely. God, he loved her, more than he would ever be able to put in words. He could try and hold speeches like he had just done, but he would never truly be able to convey the way he felt about her by speaking about it. Through their soul bond, he knew that she felt it, just like he felt her love for him.

Eventually, once his fingers had made their way into her curls, completely ruining her updo, they pulled apart. Oliver waited then, knowing that she needed to finish what she had started. It took them both some time to get their breathing under control, and Felicity seemed reluctant to let go of his face. Instead, she kept her hands there, not bothering to pick up the wooden box containing the cure. She opened her eyes, and Oliver’s breath hitched at the sight of her irises turning a bright golden hue.

“I used to hate myself for what I had been turned into,” Felicity said, voice shaky. “My choice had been taken from me and I hated that with every fiber of my being. Now, I have a choice again, Oliver. I can choose whether or not I want to remain a hybrid or return to being a wolf. A part of me can’t help but wonder if I should just take the cure, but then another part… I’ve become used to the person I am now. After meeting you, I changed too. It might not have been my choice before, but now, being a hybrid just makes sense to me. You’re a part of why I feel the way I do. You accepted me for who I am and you taught me that it wasn’t about whether I was a wolf or a hybrid or even a human. You taught me that it was about  _ me _ and what I used my powers for. You helped me accept myself for who I am and the person I’ve become while helping you do what you do.” His lips parted and Felicity smiled, eyes still filled with tears. “You are my hero, Oliver Queen.”

Whatever plan Oliver had had about the things he had wanted to discuss with Felicity tonight, went out the window after those words. He moved forward so quickly that he literally knocked her over on the bed. Felicity giggled, her laughter ringing in his ears, making his chest feel warm as he found himself on top of her, kissing every inch of her face that he could reach. She wiggled a little under him, moving herself upward so that they wouldn’t be awkwardly laying at the end of the bed. Oliver didn’t follow first, kissing down her throat, the side of her neck and down to her chest that was already heaving. The wooden box that had been on the bed clattered to the floor when they moved again, probably after Felicity accidentally kicked it as she tried to make her way up the bed. Oliver decided to ignore it now that he knew for sure that Felicity wasn’t going to take the cure. If she ever decided that she wanted to, Barry had the formula and would probably just be able to make her another one.

“Oliver,” Felicity whined, her fingers gripping his suspenders, tugging lightly. He allowed her to pull him towards her again, kissing her with urgency as his own hands moved to her feet. He pulled her high-heels off, one by one before moving one of his hands to her back. His other hand settled on her ankle, tracing her skin there for a moment and then moved upwards, pushing the silky material of her dress up.

“It’ll get stuck,” Felicity muttered against his lips, her hand finding his chest as she pushed him back a bit. “Wait a minute.” She lifted herself up, reaching back for the zipper. Oliver watched her as she pulled it down over her chest and he found himself once again pulling her under him. Felicity laughed at his eagerness and Oliver couldn’t suppress his own chuckle. He kissed the tops of her breasts, his fingers finding purchase once more in her dress as he pushed it down, over her hips. Felicity squirmed, helping him to get the dress off of her completely and somehow, they managed. She was panting, looking at him with darkened eyes and Oliver swore under his breath as he leaned back and looked at her.

Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was a mess; lips that had been painted red were swollen and there were red marks on her chest, where his beard had rubbed against her skin.

“How come I’m only wearing my underwear while you haven’t lost anything but your shoes?” Felicity asked, clearly teasing him.

Oliver laughed again, shaking his head as he pushed himself up, moving back so that he could remove his clothes. Felicity laid there watching him with hungry eyes as he divested of his clothing. He chucked off his boxers in the end too, not wanting anything to hinder them from moving forward with this tonight.

It had been too long since they’d had each other like this.

Oliver groaned as he took in the sight of her. He couldn’t help but wrap his hand around his hard member. Stroking himself a few times, he desperately tried to take away some of the pressure he was feeling. Felicity shifted a little on the bed again, gripping the sheets beneath her. She bit her lip and Oliver moved forward, kneeling on the bed as he tried to ignore the way his dick twitched at the sight of her. He hadn’t had her in months and he wanted to savor this moment.

His fingers wrapped around her ankles again and he moved his hands over the smooth skin of her leg, slowly making his way upward. He bent down, kissing the inside of her right thigh before doing the same on the left one. Nuzzling against her, he took a moment to just lay his cheek against her skin, looking up to meet her eyes. Her chest was heaving and he could literally feel the heat that she was radiating when he reached for her. Oliver slid up, making sure to drag his body over hers and he relished in the feeling of her hardened nipples as they brushed against him. He kissed her again as he simultaneously reached down, cupping the apex of her thighs. Felicity gasped into his mouth, her hips rolling against his fingers as he rubbed her through the thin material of her panties. He could feel her wetness soaking the material, but for a while, he settled on just kissing her and teasing her like that.

The way that she moved beneath him and the way that her hands gripped his arms told him that she wanted him to  _ just move _ . When she scratched his scalp, Oliver couldn’t suppress a grunt as he thrust his hips forward on the bed. He froze as the sensation made him feel even more wound up than before.  _ If he continued like this, he wouldn’t last. _

“Get a move on then,” Felicity panted against him.

Oliver growled at her when she nibbled on his shoulder. He felt her human teeth scrape his shoulder and the thought of her biting him again made him impossibly harder.

“Fucking shit, I feel like I’m going to explode,” he admitted, feeling a little light headed.

“Can you wait until you’re inside me?” Felicity asked. He raised his head and gave her a look of disbelief. How the fuck could she still be teasing him? How was her brain even functioning properly right now? Was he the only one feeling this desperation?

All of the sudden, Oliver found himself on his back. Felicity planted herself on his stomach, her hands on his chest as she rolled against him. Oliver grabbed a hold of her hips, gritting his teeth when he felt her slickness against his abs. Was she…?

“You have  _ really _ hard abs,” Felicity said, eyes fluttering closed as she threw her head back. Oliver’s lips parted and he fought to keep control of himself. The sight of her rubbing against him like that, taking her own pleasure by using his body… 

“I have something else that is hard too,” he heard himself say.

Felicity’s eyes opened wide and she looked down at him again. “Clearly, your brain is still functioning too,” she laughed. Oliver pushed himself up, wrapping his arms around her. The move effectively pushed her back so that she landed perfectly in his lap. Reaching down, he tore the flimsy material of her panties away from her body and Felicity shuddered again at the move.

“Come on, Felicity,” he said, encouraging her when he saw her eyes glow gold. “Come on.”

Felicity reached down and grabbed his cock, lifting herself up before she positioned him at her entrance. She pressed her lips to the side of his neck and Oliver raised his hand to the back of hers, holding her there to make sure she knew what he wanted. His lips parted in a soundless gasp when she lowered herself down slowly while piercing his skin with her fangs at the same time. He closed his eyes, holding on to her as she drank from him. The feeling of being connected like this; having her drink his blood as he moved slowly inside of her– It was the best feeling in the world.

Her warmth surrounded him in more than one way and he let her move at her own pace, using only his hands and his strength to help her. There was no pain as she drank from him, only pleasure. He could feel her presence all around him and inside of his head. The love she felt for him was intoxicating and he hoped that through their soul bond, she would feel that he returned the feeling just as strongly.

After a while, he started feeling a bit lightheaded, so he tugged a little on her hair and Felicity pulled back instantly. Her eyes were still glowing and her fangs were out. There was blood on her mouth and Oliver could feel it trickling down the side of his neck. Felicity lifted her wrist to her own mouth, tearing into her skin before offering him her blood. He licked the wound she had made, tasting the pure energy that she radiated and he could feel the familiar heat that indicated that his skin was healing. She leaned forward then, lapping at the place she had bitten him, licking up the blood that had previously escaped her.

“You good?” Oliver asked when she pulled back.

Felicity nodded at him. “You?” she wondered.

“I’ll be even better once we move,” Oliver said, not being able to help his smirk. Felicity returned the grin as she pushed him back to lay down. He was still painfully hard and he was inside of her, but when Felicity finally started moving, Oliver’s eyes rolled back at the pleasure that exploded inside of him. He could feel her tight walls fluttering against him and he gripped her tightly, making her move faster against him. Oliver planted his feet on the mattress and then pushed himself up, fucking into her harder than before and she met him halfway. Sweat covered their bodies and the sound of their skin slapping together was almost obscene, but Oliver reveled in it.

He was still wrapped around her when he twisted them around. Felicity’s head connected with the pillow and Oliver wrapped her legs around his waist before thrusting into her again. She cried out, eyes squeezing shut as pleasure ripped through her, making her thighs shake. Oliver held on, his hips moving at a furious pace as he chased his own release. Felicity grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down, kissing him deeply once more and apparently, that was all he needed. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through him and Oliver’s movements faltered as they both rode out their orgasms. He panted against her lips as he came down and opened his eyes to meet hers. Felicity was smiling at him, lazily and with so much love that his heart felt as if it was going to explode. He tried to move away, but she continued to hold him tightly. Instead, he let his weight cover her, knowing that she could take it. His face found the crook of her neck and he kissed her there, his tongue darting out to taste the saltiness of her skin.

“If you do that, I’m going to want you again within the next half hour,” Felicity said, still breathing hard.

“Give me a couple of minutes,” Oliver chuckled.

“I told you I’d give you half an hour,” Felicity repeated, laughing as she looked down at him, kissing his forehead. She gently ran her hands over his shoulders, letting out a moan when Oliver finally pulled out of her. They would both need a shower later.

“We’re the worst,” he mumbled, wincing at the stickiness that was left behind when he moved away from her.

“Hm… I agree, but right now, I don’t really think I care,” Felicity said. Oliver raised an eyebrow at her again. “I mean, of course I  _ care _ , it’s just that I’m so blissed out right now that I’m not even thinking straight. That’s like the first Oliver-induced-orgasm I’ve had in  _ months! _ Don’t judge me.”

“I understand, Felicity,” Oliver said, kissing her again. “I… I have something I want to ask you.”

“If you ask me now, I’ll agree to anything,” Felicity told him. Oliver grinned, looking away from her as he shook his head. “I’m just kidding. Come on, Oliver, ask away.”

He turned back to her, lifting his hand to brush across her cheek, moving downward to her clavicle. He trailed over her heated skin there, running over her breasts and Felicity’s breath hitched when his thumb touched her nipple.

“Earlier tonight, Thea suggested I look for closure… You know, about Russia,” he said, waiting for her reaction.

“I agree, and just this once, I’ll forgive you for talking about your sister in our post-coital bliss,” Felicity said, but he could hear the humor in her tone.

“If I ask you to come with me, will you?” Oliver asked, cupping her cheek again.

Felicity’s eyes softened and she turned her face into his palm so that she could kiss it. “Yes, of course,” she said. “Wherever you go, I’ll come with you. Always.”

-§-

There wasn’t much light in the room. The chair he sat in was uncomfortable, but he wasn’t about to complain to anyone. He waited patiently, hands clasped together on top of the table as he stared down at them. His leg wasn’t jumping up an down, his fingers weren’t rubbing together as they usually did when he was nervous, simply because he  _ wasn’t. _

A door at the end of the room opened and Oliver raised his head. Two cloaked people came into the room first, their hands raised as they turned toward the door again. Next, Oliver observed as Isabel Rochev was led into the room, followed by two other cloaked people. The four guards walked around her, all four holding their arms out in Isabel’s direction. There were metal cuffs around her ankles, connected to chains that led up to her wrists where another pair of cuffs held her hands tightly connected. A third, thicker chain was wrapped around Isabel’s slim neck, forcing her to hold her arms close to her body with every small step she took. She was wearing an orange jumpsuit with a number stitched onto her breast pocket as well as some kind of symbol. Oliver recognized it as the insignia that was drawn on the roof of the building, where the helicopter that had brought him here had landed.

“Mr. Queen,” one of the guards said. She was a woman, as far as Oliver could tell; slightly smaller in build than the other three guards, but radiating just as much power as the others. She moved around the table and Oliver stood up to shake her hand, but she only stopped a few feet away from him. The other three guards moved Isabel, making her sit down in the seat on the opposite side of the table.

“I’m afraid I don’t know your name, Ms…?” Oliver trailed off, but the woman shook her head. Underneath her hood, he could see her lips curve up into a smirk.

“Not important,” she answered. “We are not here to exchange pleasantries with one another. You came for closure and that is what the Covens have decided to grant you. We will remain in the room to make sure the prisoner won’t try anything, but we’ll put a spell around the table to keep any sound from getting out. As long as you stay within a five-foot-radius of the table, we won’t be able to hear anything you say.”

“I, uh… All right,” Oliver nodded, figuring that this wasn’t the time to start questioning the way that magic worked in this place.

“The chains around the prisoner’s wrists will be secured to the table. They have also been spelled to ensure that she can’t escape,” the woman continued. “You have one hour to say what you have to say and after that, I find it most difficult to believe that the Covens will grant you a second visit. Your hour begins once we have stepped out of the radius I previously mentioned and have taken up our place in each corner of this room. Do you have any questions, Mr. Queen?”

Oliver went over everything in his head. “Will she be able to compel me?” he wondered.

“No,” the woman replied. “The Covens have taken great measures to ensure that the prisoner won’t ever be able to compel anyone else to do their bidding. You are safe within these walls, just like the world outside is safe from her.”

“No more questions,” Oliver said, making a note in his head to ask Barry about all of this one day.

“You may take your seat.” The woman motioned to the chair he had previously been sitting on and took a few steps back from him. She motioned to the other guards, who nodded once and stepped back from Isabel. The brunette shot them a glare before leaning back into her seat as far as the chains would allow her. Oliver sat down in front of her and once again placed his hands on the table, clasped together. The guards took up their posts and Oliver looked up to see a light purple flash above them. The shield was in place and the countdown had started.

Oliver looked at Isabel who had finally turned her attention to him. She observed him almost curiously before straightening her back again. He didn’t say anything as she rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. He didn’t make a sound as she leaned a bit closer, her fingers tapping the table as she went.

“Hello, Oliver,” she said, her voice sounding just as cold and detached as it had whenever they had worked together at Queen Consolidated.

Once again, Oliver didn’t speak. He only waited, wanting to see if he felt something, anything at all. The disgust was still there, but it wasn’t directed at himself so much as it was toward the brunette across from him. The anger that had been almost crippling him had faded, replaced by a calm that he knew came from the woman he loved. No matter what happened today, Oliver knew that he had already made peace with himself. Now, he only wanted to see if he could learn the truth.

“I have to say, when those witches told me I had a visitor, I didn’t expect you to be the one waiting at the table when I walked through those doors,” Isabel said, fingers still tapping against the table. Oliver noticed that her nails were no longer the perfectly manicured ones she had always advertised in the office. Instead, they were broken and chipped, lined with a black color that made her fingers look almost dead.

“Tell me, why did you come here today, Oliver?” Isabel asked, dark eyes glinting. “Better yet, how did you even find this place?”

“That’s not important,” Oliver replied. His voice was calm and controlled. He wouldn’t allow this visit to get out of hand.

“Come  _ on _ , Oliver,” Isabel laughed. “It’s not like I’m going to get out any time soon. I’m going to be locked up in this prison that is controlled by the Witch Covens. I won’t see the sky until the day I’m going to be buried. I can’t use whatever information you give me against you anymore.”

Oliver clenched his jaw, hating how silky smooth her voice sounded. She might not be able to compel him, but that didn’t mean that Isabel wasn’t a damn good negotiator. He wasn’t going to give in though; he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of getting to him ever again.

“I came here because I wanted to know what really happened in Russia,” Oliver said, tired of wasting time.

Isabel clicked her tongue before grinning, “Does that really matter anymore?”

“It does to me,” Oliver said curtly, pressing his lips together.

Isabel watched him silently yet again. Her eerie smile widened and her eyes once again glinted with that darkness that she had shown during the Siege. “How long has it been, Oliver? How many months have passed since the Siege?” she questioned.

This, who chose to answer. “Five,” he said, eyes narrowing.

“Are you telling me that even now, five months after that night, you want to know what happened? It’s been well over a year since Russia, Oliver. I’m afraid my memory might have been tarnished my time in captivity,” Isabel said, grinning. “Why don’t we move on to more interesting matters? Slade Wilson’s whereabouts, for example. Is he too a prisoner here or have you taken him somewhere else?”

“Slade isn’t here,” Oliver said. “The mirakuru no longer runs in his veins, but he is being kept in another place where he won’t be able to hurt anyone until we know for sure that he has made a full recovery.”

“That is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard,” Isabel said, her demeanor suddenly changing. “He won’t recover from this, just like you won’t. The answers to your questions won’t change a single thing. I am going to live with the satisfaction that I managed to  _ break  _ you. The great Hunted of Starling City, the protector of humans, the  _ Arrow. _ You will never get a good night’s sleep and not knowing the truth will eat you alive because you will know deep down, that  _ I won. _ ” Isabel’s cheeks were tinted red and if looks could kill, Oliver would be dead by now. Her hands rested flat on the table and she her breath was labored. She jumped a little in her seat, as if trying to move the chair closer to him, making a screeching sound fill the room. Oliver saw out of the corner of his eye how one of the guards took a step forward, but he held up his hand, making sure they saw that there was no need to approach them.

“You almost did,” he said, staring into her eyes. “Break me, I mean. Those first two months were hell for me because, just as you said, not knowing the truth was eating me alive.” Then, he laid his hands on the table, just like she had done. He wasn’t restrained, so he could move a bit closer. “Once again, you didn’t count on the people around me. My friends and my family,” he told her. Isabel’s eyes narrowed and Oliver’s grin widened. “I had people who fought for me, who helped bring me back into the light and who helped me accept that what you told me that night, wouldn’t change what had happened in the past. Whether it is true and you compelled me to stay, or if you lied just to mess with my mind, it doesn’t change anything. Like you said, in the long run it doesn’t matter.” This time, he was the one who tapped the table and Isabel glared at him. “I’ve taken my time and accepted that I can’t change the past no matter what it was that actually happened,” Oliver said. “It might take me a few more months, or even years to fully get over it and stop thinking about it, but ultimately, I am going to be out there–” he pointed towards the door, still grinning– “while you’ll be  _ in here _ , withering away.” He tapped the table again. “I will be  _ happy _ and you will have  _ lost. _ ”

With that, he stood up from his chair, straightening his tie. Isabel moved too, but the chains kept her in her seat and she let out a low hiss. “Are you leaving already?” she asked, clearly trying to mock him, but it wasn’t working. She was never going to be able to get to him ever again.

“I am done here,” he said, buttoning his suit jacket. He took a step away from his seat and the guards instantly moved forward once he had stepped out of the secure zone. Isabel struggled against her restraints as the guards took a hold of her.

“Wait,  _ wait! _ ” she hissed. “I’m curious to know one more thing. I want to know what your  _ dear  _ Felicity chose in the end,” she yelled after him as the guards started dragging her away. “Did she take the cure? Is she really better than the rest of us?” Oliver continued to walk toward the exit, ignoring her. “Come on, Oliver. Tell me!” Isabel screamed, her voice darkening. “Tell me, what did she choose?”

This time Oliver stopped and he heard the guards pause as well. They weren’t pulling her away anymore, clearly sensing that he was going to say something. His back was still turned toward her. He didn’t want to look at her ever again and he knew that he didn’t owe her a response. Still, he knew that this was going to be the last thing she ever heard coming out of his mouth, and despite everything he had gone through since he was shipwrecked, Oliver Queen knew that Isabel deserved nothing but the truth. 

Why? Well, the truth was something that Isabel had never been good with, and he knew that it was the one thing that would most likely leave  _ her  _ sleepless at night. 

“What did she choose!?” Isabel screamed again, pulling against her restraints once again, making the chains clatter.

Oliver turned his head slightly, still facing away from her. “She chose us. She chose  _ me _ ,” he said, not giving her anything else as he finally continued walking. Another scream of frustration and rage filled the room as Oliver reached the door. He opened it and stepped outside, sealing it shut behind himself. He let out a deep breath and looked up, his gaze settling on Felicity who was leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for him.

She straightened up, smiling as she pushed herself away from the wall. Oliver opened his arms to her and she stepped into his embrace without hesitation, resting her head against his chest as she placed her hands on his lower back. For a minute or two, she held him close. Oliver couldn’t help but press his lips to the top of her head.

“Are you okay?” Felicity finally asked, her voice a little muffled because she was still pressed tightly against him.

“I am,” he confirmed and his answer made her tilt her head up so that she would be able to look him in the eyes. Oliver leaned down, closing the distance between them as he kissed her softly. He watched as her eyes slid shut and a sense of serenity filled him, coming straight from her through their soul bond.

“Thank you,” he said once they finally pulled apart, foreheads resting against one another.

“For what?” Felicity wondered, frowning a little.

“For never giving up on me and for trusting me,” Oliver counted. He smiled again. “For  _ loving  _ me,” he added, knowing deep down that he was in fact thanking her for so much more that he couldn’t even put in words.

“You make it easy, Oliver,” she said to him, her words making him feel warm all over. “Let’s go home.”

Her fingers tangled with his and he gently squeezed her hand back when he felt it tighten over his. He kissed her once again for good measure, nodding as they started making their way toward the exit.

When they finally stepped out into the light, Oliver knew the truth deep in his heart. With Felicity next to him, he knew, he would always be at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I struggled a little with some parts, while others just flowed naturally. The ending scene was one of them. It just came to me one night, because I knew that I wanted to somehow show that Oliver had gotten closure, especially since what happened was left kind of ambiguous. It's meant to be that way because honestly, Isabel is twisted and evil and she wanted Oliver to suffer. She never would have told him the truth and that was something that Oliver understood with the help of his loved ones.
> 
> Now, I'm going to start writing on that epilogue now, because I have some scenes in mind, but peeps, if you feel like there's something missing, something you want to see, feel free to drop a comment and tell me. While this chapter (in a way) was written to tie things together and wrap them up, the epilogue will be a look into Oliver and Felicity's future (the team's too btw!). So, if there's something you wanna see, TELL ME. You can comment here, but you can also write to me directly on Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666).
> 
> Thank you once again for reading and supporting this fic. I know I've been the worst when it comes to regular updates, but I really hope it's been worth it in the end. I'm a woman of my words and I finish my stories. Until the epilogue, lots of love for you! xx


	35. Epilogue: The Times That Followed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though not all endings are happy, this one is and all good things must come to an end eventually, so that we can all set out on a new journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, after years of late updates, an emotional rollercoaster and one of the craziest adventures I've ever written. It's taken me so long to make it through this story and I've probably taken too many breaks from it to count, but it's finally here, you guys!
> 
> The epilogue!
> 
> This is where you get the ending you've deserved for keeping up with my crazy and for never giving up on me. I want to thank all of you for the support you've given me over the course of this story and for not giving up on me or the story, even when I made if difficult for you to hold on. Thank you so much for everything and remember, I'm already working on my next project, but I'll most likely not post anything until I'm a few chapters in.
> 
> Also, Before I let you enjoy this epilogue: There are some time jumps in this one, but I actually wrote down how much time passes between the shifts in scenes. Whenever I don't write anything, it's either because it's a matter of minutes or days, but it will hopefully be clear enough as you read.
> 
> Now, please enjoy this final piece of this story. xx

**Epilogue: The Times That Followed**

_~ Four months later ~_

There was something special about the early hours of the morning. Felicity absolutely loved it. Lazy mornings in bed, curled up against Oliver. Feeling his warm skin against her own, his fingers trailing over her arms slowly as she listened to his strong heartbeat. Then there was the early morning rush hour, which she enjoyed in some ways too. It was all about hearing the city and its citizens coming alive; listening to them as they woke up and made their way out on the roads. The arguments, the chaos and in a way, the _humanity_ of it all made it so much more relaxing. Because as her ears picked up on the movement on the outside, she would still be in bed with the man she loved, pressing kisses over his bare chest and making love to him until they absolutely _had_ to get going.

This morning was different, although it didn't mean Felicity loved it any less. Every morning that she got to open her eyes and experience the world around her, was a morning Felicity was grateful for. The thing that was different about today was that Felicity and Oliver had officially moved all of their things into their new loft.

"That's the last of the boxes," Roy said, placing the box labeled _'COMPUTER STUFF'_ on the floor. He tapped the lid and Felicity shot him a warning glare. Roy only shrugged in reply, turning to Thea who wiped some sweat from her forehead.

"You know, Ollie," she touched her warm cheeks with her fingertips, "Mom and Walter offered to pay for the move. I don't know why you couldn't be a normal human being for once and take advantage of the fact that we're _billionaires._ "

Roy snorted at her complaint and Felicity looked over at Oliver who was opening one of the boxes.

"Come on, Thea," Oliver grinned. "One day we'll look back at this day and remind ourselves of how fun it was to do all this work on our own."

"Yeah, if it had been for _my own apartment_ I might have thought it was fun," Thea rolled her eyes. "Listening to you and Felicity give me instructions on where to put your _thousand_ boxes has surely shortened my life expectancy with about twenty years."

Oliver's grin fell and now he was glaring at her. It was awfully similar to the look that Felicity had shot Roy earlier. "You've been spending too much time with your boyfriend," Oliver stated. Felicity looked down to hide her smile when Oliver winked in her direction.

"All right, you guys," Diggle interrupted. "Do you need our help to unpack too or can you handle that on your own? Lyla just texted and baby Sara's feeling a bit grumpy without her dad apparently. I keep reminding her that it's perfectly normal for a baby that's two months old to be fussy."

Felicity couldn't help but grin widely at John. Ever since he became a father, he had devoted himself completely to his daughter. The little girl was as much a daddy's girl as Diggle was wrapped around her tiny finger.

Months had passed since Felicity and Oliver had been teleported away from the High Coven's prison. Felicity was glad that they had finally been able to move on from everything that had happened. Oliver had gotten the closure he needed and from what he had told Felicity, he had gotten the last word when it came to Isabel Rochev. When Oliver had first approached her and told her that he wanted to contact Barry to see if he knew where Isabel was being kept, Felicity had been worried. She was aware of the fact that Oliver needed closure and she knew that she would be with him throughout everything. It had taken Barry some time and he had pulled a lot of strings in the world of the witches, but eventually, he had gotten a hold of someone who had an in with the Council of the High Coven. Ever since she had learned of the supernatural world, Felicity had never really come across any witches before Barry. After Barry explained the basics to her and Oliver, she got curious and she wanted to know everything there was about that part of the world.

"Magic is ancient," Barry had told her, but he had supplied her with some of his mother's old grimoires. Felicity had read up on as much as possible, but the High Coven was still a mystery to her. It seemed though, as if some mysteries were meant to be left unsolved. She had discussed it with Oliver and Diggle too. Together they had come to the conclusion that the most important thing was that there was no way for Isabel to escape the prison and that they no longer had to worry about anything relating to her.

Together they had all helped one another to move forward. Felicity had accepted her role as pack leader, but she knew deep down that she wouldn't have been able to pull it off without the help of Sara and Roy. As the months had progressed, Sara's role in the pack had grown. The new werewolf had taken it upon herself to take care of the former lone wolves in Starling City. When Nyssa had returned briefly to inform them that her father had released Sara from the League, Sara hadn't been sure whether or not she would be able to make a place for herself in the pack. With time, Felicity had delegated most of the responsibility of the younger teens to Sara. This made it possible for Felicity to keep working with Oliver, Diggle and Roy in the new bunker they had made for themselves, while Sara monitored the streets with the others. The new wolves knew that Felicity was their alpha and they had sworn her their allegiance. Felicity had done as she had discussed with Sara. The pack got together during the full moon in order to help one another through the transitioning and things were working out for the better. Felicity kept her mind under lock and key though, only letting Roy and Sara in when she needed to wordlessly communicate with them to keep the other wolves in check. She had taught Sara and Roy the same trick mostly because they wanted to be able to keep the Arrow's real identity a secret. She was pretty sure that the rest of the wolves knew deep down that Oliver was the Arrow, and it didn't have anything to do with Felicity accidentally revealing it. If one _really_ tried to figure it out, it was pretty easy to do so. The thing was that most of the youngsters were from the Glades and they appreciated the change that the Arrow had brought with him when he had come to Starling City. If they really knew his secret identity, Felicity doubted that they would reveal it to anyone. Wolves were loyal like that. Besides, Felicity had made sure that they knew that only she, Roy and Sara were allowed to communicate with the Arrow. It was one of the terms that the wolves had agreed to when officially joining the pack. The other was that what Sara or Roy said went without questioning if Felicity wasn't available. It wasn't a perfect arrangement, but so far it worked. There hadn't been any complaints from the other wolves because they got the help and the protection they needed by simply being associated with the White Wolf.

After the Siege, journalists had continued their investigations on the White Wolf that Slade had mentioned in his city-wide broadcast. They hadn't found anything concrete, although that was because they didn't know about the supernatural creatures that lived among them. There were still speculations that it was a codename for one of the Arrow's secret companions. Felicity still blushed whenever she overheard someone swooning over the fact that the Arrow might have a secret lover whom he protected above everyone else. Whenever she mentioned what she heard to Oliver, he would just step into her space and kiss her before whispering in a teasing way that people's suspicions were in fact true.

Nevertheless, the system they had created for their team and the rest of Felicity's pack made it easier to keep the streets safe for the humans. The Glades were finally rebuilding and the crime rates were down. Detective Lance and the police force now worked together with the Arrow to keep the streets safe. There had been a reluctance there from the other officers, but with Quentin's help, most of them were willingly accepting the vigilante's help.

Another person who helped was Moira. Since returning after the Siege, Oliver's mother had used her resources to help the rebuilding of the Glades. She had invested in clinics and housing, shelters and even a new orphanage. Moira admitted to the guilt she still felt and the pride that had grown inside of her when she had seen her city and her home make it through yet another crisis. After a couple of weeks, the people had started accepting her and forgave her for the part she had been forced to play in the Undertaking. When the people began trusting her again, Moira announced to her family that she had been convinced to run for Mayor of Starling City. A few months down the road, the election was held and Moira won with a majority percentage. With Oliver's mother backing the Arrow and his work with the police department, very few people still held negative thoughts toward the vigilante. People embraced him as a hero and Felicity was happy to see how the acceptance of the people seemed to change something within Oliver too.

They were in a good place now.

All of them were.

Diggle and Lyla's daughter, baby Sara, had been born late one night when things had been pretty close to going to hell. Their old Foundry had been compromised when a group of vampires had sniffed them out and broken in. Felicity, Oliver, Diggle and Roy had been stuck in the Foundry, fighting off the vampires that just wouldn't stop coming their way, when Lyla had gone into labor. Sara had been on her way to the Foundry to help, but when Lyla's distress call had come in, she had left for her instead. Later, when they had managed to defeat the vampires, they hastily made it to the hospital, only to find that Sara had gone into the labor room with Lyla. She had stayed by Lyla's side throughout the birth and she had helped calm Lyla down even when panic had briefly come over the pregnant woman because Diggle wasn't there.

Sara had only left Lyla and the little baby girl when Diggle had gotten there. Felicity had told Sara just how proud she was of her and the other blonde had blushed, but remained silent. After some coaxing, Sara admitted that she had never thought she would experience such a thing and that somehow, she had felt responsible for Lyla's safety.

"It's normal," Felicity had told her when they were alone, waiting to be called in by Diggle. "Wolves protect their family and whether you consciously viewed her as a member of it or not, your inner wolf must have."

When Diggle finally stepped outside after having a moment alone with Lyla and their little girl, they were allowed inside. Lyla had smiled through tears, thanking Sara a thousand times over, asking her to hold the baby girl. Sara had been hesitant but eventually, she had accepted the baby. The little girl had been asleep, but a small smile had bloomed over Sara's face when she looked down at the little bundle in her arms. That was when Diggle had shared that they had decided to name the baby Sara after the woman who had basically saved Lyla's life and staid by her side. Felicity had been a bit shocked when she had seen tears fall from Sara's eyes, vulnerability shining through. It reminded Felicity of all the things that Sara had gone through since she had left on the Gambit with Oliver all those years ago. Oliver had wrapped his arms around Felicity then, sensing her own sadness. Of course, there had also been gratitude there, and happiness over the fact that they were finally together and safe, all of them.

Despite being named after Sara, Diggle and Lyla gave Felicity and Oliver the honor of being godparents. Felicity still remembered the heated look Oliver had sent her way when she had been offered to hold the baby for the first time. She knew how he felt and Felicity wasn't exactly keeping it a secret that she too wanted them to have kids at some point in the future. They had been living together for months in her old apartment, but now that they had found a new place together, she wondered if it was something they might bring up again. When they had looked at the loft the first time, neither one of them had commented on how the place had two spare bedrooms beside their own. They had only mentioned making one of them a guest room, so the other one, Felicity assumed, they would discuss whether or not to leave empty for now. They would have plenty of time to do so since they had decided to use their weekend to finally put all the small things in place and finish their move. It was something that they wanted to experience for themselves, because this was meant to be the first real home they bought together. Roy and Thea had moved in together as well, but they had used a moving company to help with their things. After the major rebuild that had been going on, Thea had officially taken over Oliver's place as co-owner of Verdant. Now, she and Tommy managed the club together and Roy worked there with them. Meanwhile, Oliver and Felicity had their hands full with running Queen Consolidated during the day. Their relationship wasn't a secret, but they did keep their PDA to a minimum while working. Considering that Felicity was running the Applied Science Division, she had a lot of freedom when it came to deciding on future projects and investments considering that Oliver trusted her judgment. Oliver did his best as CEO, but Felicity still stepped in sometimes to help if something wasn't clear enough. They held board meetings once every month and the company was once again returning to its former glory. The other board members seemed to appreciate the fact that despite their relationship, Oliver and Felicity put the company first in many ways. They didn't let their relationship cloud their judgment and there had been times when they had left the final decision making up to the board. It made them feel included, but also helped them see that the future of the company seemed bright. The PR-department also loved to use Oliver and Felicity's relationship to enhance this. Despite being private about themselves and their plans for the future, anyone who looked at them could tell that it wasn't just a fling for Oliver Queen. He had been a changed man since his return from the Island and Felicity Smoak was considered to bring out the best of him in every way. Their dates were sometimes caught on pictures by the paparazzi, but there were no scandals. The head of PR often told Oliver and Felicity that people loved to invest in stable companies and considering that the CEO of their company seemed more secure in his personal life as well, investors considered Queen Consolidated to be a safe bet.

"Did you guys need anything else, or what?" Diggle asked again, making Felicity come out of her thoughts on the past couple of months.

"Oh, no, we'll probably manage," she replied. "Thank you for coming to help, Dig. Tell Lyla that we'll see if we can come by some time next week. I need some baby time."

She could feel the others in the room looking at her, but she refused to blush, even when she looked up to meet Oliver's eyes.

"Okay then, I will," Diggle nodded. He walked up to her and gave her a hug, kissing her temple before stepping back. "Call if you need any help tonight in the bunker."

"I'm not sure we'll do more than a check on the searches from yesterday," Felicity shrugged.

"You know, if you and Oliver want the night off to start unpacking, I can check the searches and Roy can patrol with Sara," Thea offered.

Felicity looked over at Oliver and her heartbeat spiked for a second. He turned his attention to his sister though, before she could send him a questioning look. "That sounds perfect, Speedy. Unless there's an emergency, Felicity and I could really use the time to…unpack."

Thea blinked twice and then shook her head, but she didn't hide her smile. "All right, we'll leave you guys to it then," she said. "Come on, Dig. Roy and I will walk you out and then we'll head home too."

They said their goodbyes and the moment Oliver had closed the door behind them, he locked it before turning to look at Felicity. There it was again; that look in his eyes that made her insides warm.

"I'm guessing that we won't be getting anything unpacked tonight?" Felicity asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Oliver closed the distance between them in three large strides, his hands falling on her hips as he pulled her flush against him. He grinned at her as Felicity's hands found their way under his shirt.

"Most of the furniture has already been set up anyway," he said. "Besides, for what I had in mind, we only need our bed… Or any hard surface for that matter."

Felicity smiled, pulling him closer, "I like the way you think."

-§-

_~ One month later ~_

"We _really_ shouldn't be doing this here." Felicity's words were mumbled against Oliver's lips. The way she pulled on his tie kind of contradicted what she said though.

Oliver pushed her a bit harder against the door and reached around her to lock it. Normally, they didn't do this at the office, but there had just been something about the way she looked when he had walked past the copying room and seen her in there alone.

Okay, so there had been that one time when he had dropped by her office with takeout… And that other time when she had come up to his office to hand over some suggestions for future projects in mobile technology. The way she had summarized her work for him, the passion in her eyes and her mouth moving a mile a minute had just made him snap. She had been wearing a dark pink lipstick and it hadn't taken more than thirty minutes for him to have said lipstick smeared all over his chest. He wasn't sure all those times in his private bathroom counted… Or the time they had gotten a bit carried away inside the elevator when it had malfunctioned and shut down.

_Okay._ They were pretty bad at keeping their hands to themselves, but whenever there were people around, they were _professional._ Occasionally, Oliver would kiss her cheek before parting ways and Felicity would tease him about the dreamy sighs the interns let fall from their lips whenever they saw him do something remotely romantic. Like when he would send her bouquets of her favorite flowers, or a special delivery of those chocolate cupcakes that she loved so much from the bakery at the corner of their street. Oliver had never done those kinds of things before the Island, and now that their city was safe, he found that he _wanted_ to give Felicity everything. They were in love and they had been through hell and back for their people. If he wanted to spoil his soulmate rotten, he would, no matter how much Thea, Tommy or anyone else teased him about it when they were alone. As long as it put a smile on Felicity's lips, he would keep doing just that.

Nevertheless, a couple of minutes ago, when he had walked past the copy room and seen her there, kneeling on the floor next to the machine to look at the wiring in the back of it, Oliver hadn't been able to keep himself from stopping. He knew that Felicity had felt his presence, which was why she had stood up and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"You do know that we have people who repair those things for us, right?" Oliver had asked her, and he hadn't been quite successful at hiding the roughness in his voice.

Felicity had only bitten her lip and looked up at him, but before she could say anything in reply, Oliver had let out a growl and kissed her. They had moved quickly after he had gotten the door locked to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted. It was late and they were probably alone on the floor, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Felicity's hands drifted down to his belt, unbuckling it and tugging down the zipper of his pants so that she could sneak her hand inside his boxers. Oliver groaned against her throat when her fingers wrapped around his already hard length. She stroked him lightly at first, but her grip became firmer as he grew harder in her small hand. Oliver's own moved to push her skirt up and out of the way, desperately seeking the heat between her legs. The skirt bunchedup around her waist and his fingers touched her over her soaked panties. Moving his fingers leisurely against her outer lips, Oliver's teeth scraped against the base of her throat, making her moan a little too loudly. His other hand was busy holding her up, but Felicity pressed her face down into the crook of his neck to muffle her own sounds when she realized that he couldn't cover her mouth to keep her quiet. Her legs were wrapped tightly around him as he rocked into her hand again before tugging her panties aside. Felicity pulled him out of his confines, pushing both his pants and boxers down. When she lined him up at her entrance, Oliver waited just a second before he pushed into her slowly, hissing against her skin as he got settled and allowed her a few seconds to adjust. His hands tangled in her hair as he kissed her hard. He began thrusting into her, quickly getting lost in her sounds and their mutual pleasure. As his weeping cock moved inside of her tightness, his mind kept screaming _'perfect, perfect, perfect'_ every single time he'd hit that special spot inside of her.

Everything went white behind his eyes when Felicity's orgasm eventually triggered his own. His hips stuttered and lost their rhythm as she clenched down on him. Oliver wondered, for a moment, if he had actually gone blind with the force of his orgasm. The previously rough pace he had set slowed down and he prolonged their pleasure with small thrusts, emptying inside of her. He must have blacked out for real because when he finally opened his eyes again, they were both sitting on the floor. Oliver was still pulsing inside of her, but he was softening, and Felicity was on top of him, pressing kisses against his chest. He let out a harsh breath and it seemed to jumpstart his lungs because all of the sudden he was panting. When had she managed to get his shirt unbuttoned? Instead of thinking too much about that, he just accepted the complete calm that washed over him after the mind-blowing orgasm he'd had left a pleasurable hum in its wake.

They sat there for a while, and it wasn't until Felicity started giggling against him that he met her eyes. Her hair was a mess and her lipstick had been completely smeared. He was certain that most of it was now on him, but he didn't exactly have a mirror in the copy room so he could check.

"What's so funny?" he smiled. Her laughter was infectious and somehow, it still managed to make him feel all fuzzy on the inside.

"This makes me feel like a teenager," Felicity admitted, still laughing softly. She motioned with a finger around the room, but Oliver didn't miss the way that her blush deepened a little, almost like she was shy.

"Is this what you did in high school, Ms. Smoak?" Oliver couldn't help but tease, his thumbs brushing against the tops of her thighs.

"No," Felicity shook her head, "but there was a supply closet once at MIT."

Oliver groaned, shaking his head before he kissed her again, his lips bruising against hers. "Please don't remind me of the fact that there were others before me," he begged, hoping he didn't sound too pathetic. After what they had just done, he didn't want the image of Felicity with anyone else inside his head.

"You kind of walked into that one," Felicity grinned. "Although, the same goes to you, _darling_." Oliver blinked a little at the pet name but he couldn't help but smile wider. Felicity tilted her head and then pushed him back so that he could lay down on the floor. He'd probably have to send the suit he wore to the dry-cleaner after this. He lost his train of thoughts when Felicity's hips rolled against him and his cock started to harden yet again, still inside of her. "Why would it matter anyway?" Felicity asked, leaning down to lick over his pulse point. "You're my last."

-§-

_~ Two months later ~_

Oliver took a sip from the beer in his hand, looking over at his sister and Felicity as they cooed over baby Sara who was making gurgling sounds at them. They were at Diggle's place, having been invited over for dinner to celebrate a year without a major crisis in Starling City. Neither one of them had actually said it, but they all knew that they were there to spend some much needed time away from all of their work. The fact that there hadn't been another attack on Starling City for a year was only yet another reason to celebrate and express their gratefulness.

"I'd be careful if I was you, Oliver," Tommy said, nodding pointedly in Felicity's direction. "If she spends more than an hour with baby Sara, she'll end up wanting one of her own."

Oliver raised his eyebrow at his friend, shaking his head. "Tommy, last time I checked, you're the one who started hounding Laurel for a kid after you babysat Sara _once_."

"My point still stands," Tommy grinned, eyes moving to his wife who was sitting next to Felicity, hand resting on her rounded stomach. The two of them had announced their pregnancy a little over a month back, but it seemed as though Laurel had popped overnight. There was a glow about her, something that transferred on to Tommy as well. They were happy and Oliver was glad that his friends had found each other after everything.

"It's the chubby cheeks," Diggle pointed out, patting Tommy's back. "They make the strongest man weak in the knees. You didn't stand a chance."

"Huh," Tommy huffed. "Now that you say it, maybe Laurel was the one who wanted a kid first after all. Without her suggesting I should offer to watch Sara, I probably wouldn't have agreed to it…" Diggle laughed at that and Tommy shot him a look. "Jeez," Tommy said, "if baby Sara's chubby cheeks worked on me, I wonder how well her charm will work on her peers when she grows up." There was a teasing tone to his words, but they effectively made Diggle stop laughing.

The older man pointed a warning finger at Tommy. "She's not dating until she's at least forty," he said. "Also, if there really is such a thing as karma, you'll end up having an army of girls yourself, Tommy. We'll see who'll be laughing then."

Oliver chuckled at the look of pure horror that covered Tommy's face. Shaking his head as he took another drag from the bottle in his hand. "I should probably help Lyla in the kitchen," he said.

"No, hang on a minute," Tommy protested. "Roy and Sara are in there with her. I'm sure they can hold the fort while Dig and I tease you a while longer."

"There's no reason to tease me," Oliver shook his head. "If Felicity asked me to have a kid with her tomorrow, I wouldn't mind."

Tommy gaped at him, but Diggle only smiled, not seeming the least bit surprised by his confession.

"You haven't even asked her to marry you yet," Tommy pointed out. There was a small smile on his lips as well.

"Felicity is my soulmate, Tommy," Oliver said. "Marriage wouldn't make us any more official than we already are." He looked over at Felicity again. She had pulled baby Sara out of her seat and was cuddling her, kissing her cheek.

"Still," Tommy said. "If the two of you start working on procreating, our kids could fall in love and eventually get married themselves!"

"You're nuts if you think I'd let your kid close to mine," Oliver said, shooting him a glare. "I'm off to the kitchen."

"I don't know why you think you could intervene with destiny, Oliver Queen!" Tommy called after him and Oliver did his absolute best to not smile.

-§-

Thea looked up from baby Sara when Oliver made his way over to them. Silently, she watched as her brother leaned down to press a featherlight kiss to Felicity's cheek. He murmured something barely audible in Felicity's ear before squeezing her shoulder and running his hand over baby Sara's head. Thea couldn't help but notice the smile that bloomed on Felicity's face as she subconsciously leaned into her mate's touch. Oliver didn't say anything to Thea or Laurel as he continued on his way to the kitchen where Lyla, Roy and Sara were working together on dinner. There was a loud bang and then Sara yelled something that sounded an awful lot like Roy's name.

Thea winced."Damn. Even though he knows how to work a grill, I'm not sure Roy should be allowed to spend more than half an hour inside a small kitchen," she said, looking at Felicity and Laurel.

"Oh, come on," Felicity said. "It's a good thing that he wants to help with the cooking."

"Yeah," Laurel agreed. "Tommy has just recently started learning how to cook. I suppose that's what years and years of being rich, privileged and spoiled give you." There was a teasing tone in her voice and Thea rolled her eyes.

"I had the same type of childhood as Tommy and I know how to cook," she pointed out.

"And I have never been rich, privileged nor spoiled, but somehow I manage to burn water from time to time…" Felicity trailed off, shrugging. Thea grinned at her, shaking her head. She loved how Felicity's mind worked. Even though Laurel had only been teasing Thea, Felicity had still stood up for her in her own way.

Not long after the Siege, Laurel had been appointed the new DA in Starling City. After that, it didn't take much time for Tommy to approach the team about possibly filling Laurel in on the presence of Dark Ones in their city. He knew that his wife worked with all kinds of people in the city and he wanted her to be able to protect herself if a vampire or something was ever charged in a human court. Either way, they all knew that most politicians in the city were aware of the creatures of the night and it didn't make any sense to keep Laurel in the dark considering that Sara had become a werewolf.

After they had filled Laurel in on their secrets, the lawyer had had some trouble understanding at first. Thea couldn't exactly blame her considering that her own reaction to finding out about the secret world hadn't been the best. With a little time and guidance from Tommy though, Laurel had come around pretty quickly. She had taken the time to talk to Felicity a lot, much like Tommy had in the beginning, and since Laurel was smart, she had quickly connected the dots between Tommy's absence during the many months of wedding planning. Now, after so much time had passed, Thea knew that Laurel was good friends with everyone on their team. They were family in the most amazingly dysfunctional way that somehow worked perfectly for them.

" _So_ ," Laurel said, drawing out the vowel as she raised an eyebrow at Felicity.

"What?" Felicity asked, laughing a little. Thea could see there was some nervousness hidden beneath her facade of confusion.

"Have you and Ollie discussed what might be the next step for you guys?" Laurel questioned, getting right to the point.

"We just moved in together officially three months ago," Felicity replied. "I don't really know what the next step would be."

"Yeah, well," Thea scrunched up her nose and shook her head, "you've kind of been living together for longer than that. The two of you were staying together even before the Siege."

"Yes, but the loft is, like, our first _real-_ real place together," Felicity said. "We're just happy the way things are right now.. And besides, we're soulmates, right? There is absolutely no need to rush things."

"Felicity." Thea couldn't help but sigh. "If you're saying that you and my brother rush things when it comes to your relationship, Roy and I must be moving at lightspeed."

"Hey, you've been watching _Star Wars_ ," Felicity pointed out happily.

"Nope, just reading physics," Thea deadpanned. Felicity stared at her and Thea sighed. "Okay, I'm a sucker for the Millennium Falcon and Han Solo, so _sue me._ "

"Ok _ay_ , back to topic," Laurel said, clearly trying to get the conversation under control. "Have you and Ollie talked about marriage?"

Thea saw the way that Felicity's cheeks reddened and she couldn't help but smile at how absolutely adorable the blonde was.

"Perhaps not in any official terms," Felicity shrugged. "I mean, we know that we're _It_ for one another, and that's with a capital 'I'. Not _It_ , like the Stephen King novel or the movie based on it, because I think that would be quite terrifying, but rather _It,_ like, we're destined lovers. By the way, have you ever noticed how weird the word 'lovers' is? It sounds kind of creepy in whichever way you say it, doesn't it?" Thea and Laurel stared at one another for a moment, watching as Felicity finally clamped her mouth shut. There was a crinkle between her eyebrows and then she let out a small breath. "Huh, that hasn't happened to me in a while."

Thea knew she was referring to the babble, so she couldn't help but laugh a little. She shook her head a little as she looked over at Laurel. "Don't worry about Felicity and Ollie, Laurel," she told the older woman. "The two of them are practically married anyway. Signing some papers won't make it any more official than it already is."

-§-

_~One month later ~_

Oliver stepped off the elevator and into the bunker. He looked around and found the place empty, just as he had expected it to be. They hadn't planned on meeting up here tonight, but since Felicity was out of town on Queen Consolidated business, he didn't feel like staying in the loft alone all night. Instead, he figured he could use the time to work out. It would tire him out enough to fall asleep easier tonight. He gave himself two hours. That left him plenty of time to get back to the loft and get showered before Felicity called him. She had been so excited about traveling to Gotham for the Annual Science Conference. New projects would be presented by all companies attending and it was an opportunity for new alliances to develop.

Oliver missed Felicity immensely. Despite the fact that he could feel her through their soul bond and he texted with her frequently, he couldn't help himself. He didn't like being apart from her, but he knew that he had to bear through it because he didn't want to make things any harder on the two of them.

After an hour or so of working out, the elevator leading down to the bunker signaled someone's arrival. Oliver looked past the dummy he had been punching, only to see Roy entering the place, head lowered.

"Hey," Oliver said, eyebrows furrowing. He was a bit confused as to why Roy had come to the bunker tonight considering that they all had the evening off.

"Hi, man," Roy greeted, still not looking directly at Oliver. "You mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all," Oliver said, moving away from the dummy as he grabbed the wooden sticks he knew that Roy had recently been trying to master. Roy pulled off his hoodie and then joined Oliver on the training mat. The two of them hit and dodged for a good while, switching places every few minutes as they worked on both their offense and defense.

"I've been wondering something," Roy started, ducking under Oliver's arm, successfully deflecting another attack. The kid was faster now that he was in control of his wolf powers.

"Yeah?" Oliver leaned back, avoiding a hit. "What?"

"When are you going to propose to Felicity?"

The question came out of nowhere and distracted Oliver long enough for Roy to sweep his leg under him. Oliver landed on his ass with an ungraceful thud, wincing before he could stop himself. Roy looked down at him, blinking twice and it didn't escape Oliver's notice that the younger man's lip curled up into a smile. It didn't happen often, but whenever Roy got the better of Oliver in a fight, he enjoyed it a lot and didn't hide the fact. This time though, there was something else in Roy's eyes, Oliver noticed. There was a nervousness to him that made the younger man's hands twitch and shake, even as he offered Oliver one of them to help him up.

Oliver stood, taking the fighting sticks from Roy. He returned them to their proper place and grabbed two water bottles from the mini-fridge that they had installed there. Roy caught the bottle that Oliver threw toward him with ease, but then he was back to avoiding Oliver's gaze again. Now, Oliver was certain that there was more to Roy's question, and he had a pretty sure that he knew what it was.

Taking a sip of the cool water, he pointed at Roy. "You want to propose to Thea." Oliver said it so casually, that Roy nearly dropped the water bottle in his hands, looking at Oliver sharply.

For a second or two, Roy didn't say anything. Then, his shoulders slumped forward and he lowered his head once again, nodding. "Yeah," he sighed, sounding almost defeated.

"If you want to marry my sister, then why are you asking me about when I'll be proposing to yours?" Oliver wondered. The little burst of happiness he saw in Roy's eyes when Oliver referred to Felicity as his sister was heartwarming. It wasn't a secret that Roy's family life had never been the best. Since he had joined up with their team and become Felicity's beta, Oliver knew that the two of them were just that: _brother and sister._ Still, it seemed as if Roy sometimes needed the reminder that Oliver completely understood the bond that he shared with Felicity. Oliver respected it and knew that he would never do something to come in between that.

"Look, Oliver," Roy started, finally looking at him. "I want to marry Thea, I do. I just– I just know that _our_ relationship hasn't always been the smoothest. Since I joined the team, we've butted heads quite a few times, but you know that I respect you, especially now that you and Felicity are together." Roy shrugged before he continued. "Thea is your sister though," he said, "and since her dad isn't alive, I kind of feel like I need to ask for your permission to marry her. I would have asked your mother, but she's kind of terrifying, even for me… So, yeah, I'm asking you."

"I didn't know you were this traditional," Oliver said, smiling a little. "Roy, you have put my sister and her safety before everything and everyone else, even yourself. Knowing that you and Thea share the same bond that I share with Felicity, I think it would be stupid of me not to give you my blessing."

Roy grinned then, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Oliver confirmed, holding out his hand. Roy took a hold of it and shook it firmly before he stepped closer. Oliver was a little surprised to be pulled into a hug by the younger man, but reciprocated.

A month later, when Oliver and Felicity are cuddling on the couch and exchanging sweet kisses while completely ignoring the movie they had set out to watch, they get got the phone call. It was Thea, crying, telling them that she's getting married.

-§-

_~ Two weeks later ~_

Felicity leaned back against the couch, burrowing under the thick blanket as she waited for Oliver to return. They had the fireplace going, opting to spend the evening at home and get some well-earned cuddles in. They'd had a scare the week before. A rabid wolf had turned during the full moon and as they had tried to subdue it, it had gotten its claws into Felicity when she had jumped in front of Oliver. She had been turned then, but once they had gotten back to the bunker, she had returned to her human form. Oliver had given her some of his blood to speed up her healing process, but she had still felt a little stiff in her shoulder since then. The more exhausting part of it all was that someone had caught the whole thing on video and now the media was once again going crazy over the Arrow apparently having a _pet._ To say that Felicity was annoyed was mild, but everyone else on the team seemed to find it amusing. Even Oliver had cracked a smile in her direction, but then again, he had spent the next few days showering her with so much love that Felicity was sure she would burst from the attention. Either way, the whole ordeal had forced Felicity to lay low and only work from the bunker. She preferred it that way, although sometimes, she missed being out in the field.

Oliver made his way back from the kitchen, carrying two wine glasses in one hand and a bottle of red in his other. Felicity grinned at him, lifting the blanket enough so that he could get settled under it. He handed her one of the glasses and she held it up while he filled it for her. She breathed in the scent of the wine before tasting it, savoring the aroma in her mouth. A noise fell from her lips that she was sure was a cross between a moan and a sigh.

"That good, huh?" Oliver raised his eyebrow at her, sounding amused.

"Almost better than sex," was her reply, a teasing tilt to her voice. Oliver's eyebrows shot up and Felicity couldn't help but laugh, leaning into him. Their lips brushed in a soft kiss and she sighed against him, her forehead resting against his. "I did say _almost_ ," she pointed out.

"Hm… Maybe it's time I do something to make sure there's no way for a bottle of red to surpass my sexual prowess…" he mused, humming as he kissed her forehead.

"There's no risk of that happening anytime soon," Felicity grinned.

They sat in silence, savoring their drinks and their alone time. She would never have expected that she would get the chance to have a life like this. A part of her still expected something to go wrong and every single day was a struggle to overcome that fear. It didn't consume her, but rather just simmered under the surface of her conscious mind. With the close call that they'd had, she had almost berated herself for believing that everything would magically be fine once the Master was defeated. There were still dangers out there, still people who needed protection…

It didn't change the fact that Felicity had discussed the whole thing with Oliver and the two of them had come to an agreement. They were allowed to worry and be afraid, but they would never let the other drown in their own thoughts. Felicity knew that if she was ever frightened, Oliver would be by her side. This past week had been wonderful, despite the few moments that Felicity had thought Oliver might actually end up making her spontaneously combust. The time they had spent away from the bunker had given her the opportunity to see the life that they were headed toward; a life where they could be a normal couple in love, living together and fighting together to keep their city safe.

Something else had happened of course; something that had shocked the hell out of the both of them, but that had lately been making Felicity think daily about that future she kept imagining.

"I can't believe that Roy and Thea eloped," she said, voicing her thoughts.

Oliver took a sip of his wine. She half-expected him to go all serious on her, but instead, there was a small smile on his face. "Mom went absolutely nuts," he chuckled. "Fortunately, I wasn't there when Thea got an earful about how the Mayor's daughter running off to Reno to get married when said Mayor is facing a big debate soon wasn't appropriate."

"Trust me, Thea didn't spare any details when she told me about it either," Felicity laughed. "I know your mom is still happy for her though. She probably just feels cheated that she didn't get to plan the wedding."

"Probably," Oliver agreed and the two of them once again fell into a comfortable silence.

After a few minutes, Felicity spoke again, "Why haven't we gotten married yet?"

She saw the way that Oliver's shoulders tensed before he slowly turned to look at her. If she hadn't been able to feel him through their soul bond, she would have worried that she had said the wrong thing. There was something in his eyes though, something that told her she had said exactly the right thing.

"I mean, we're soulmates, Oliver," she continued, her nerves suddenly getting the better of her. "All our friends know it, as does your family. If we had been a bigger part of the supernatural community, that would have been the equivalent of an unspoken marriage, so why not just make it official?" Oliver just stared at her and she bit her lip. "Unless you want to wait, that is. I don't want to just assume that you'd want to marry me. I mean, when I was younger, I never really would have expected myself to get married and then after I found out I was a wolf, I thought it was completely off the table for me. If you don't want to, _this,_ " she motioned between the two of them, "is enough for me. I don't want to pressure you, so– _So_ , no pressure." The end of her speech was kind of lame, but she figured that as long as it got the point across, it didn't matter.

"Felicity Smoak, are you asking me to marry you?" Oliver asked, his eyes shining with something that made Felicity all warm inside.

"I– I think so. Maybe? _Yes_ ," she replied, nodding.

"Felicity." He placed his wine glass on the table that they had pushed to the side, taking her glass as well, removing it from her hand so that he could hold on to it instead. "I would marry you tomorrow if you told me you wanted to. I wouldn't want to wait a second to tell the world that you are mine, just as much as I am yours. We've been together for well over a year now and I know deep in my heart that I've been in love with you since the moment I laid eyes on you, whether I knew it or not. _But_ ," he said and Felicity held her breath as he shook his head, chuckling, "I don't really think my mother would be happy about the two of us eloping too."

"I love you too," Felicity said, a choked laugh falling from her lips. She hadn't even realized that she'd started crying. They were happy tears though, so she was okay with it and she made sure that Oliver knew she was fine too by kissing him again.

"Wait," he said against her lips. "Wait." He pulled back from her and stood up before he walked over to the kitchen again. She heard him looking through some things, pans clattering together as he looked for whatever it was he was searching for. When the sounds ceased, he returned, his cheeks tinted, but eyes still shining with happiness. He lowered himself down to sit next to her again and Felicity waited for him to say something. It took him a moment, but he was smiling widely when he took her hand in one of his. The other hand that he'd been keeping behind his back came forward and Felicity's eyes welled over with tears at the sight of the princess cut diamond ring that he held pinched between his thumb and forefinger. He didn't say anything, just looked at her and she _felt_ his question. The connection between them was flooding with love and joy. She couldn't remember ever having felt as happy as she felt when Oliver slid the platinum ring home on her finger. The diamond sparkled in the dim light and the side stones seemed to wink at her, but she looked up and then, she only had eyes for Oliver; her fiancé, her great love, her soulmate.

It was a good thing that he'd put away the wine too, because she wasn't able to stop herself from climbing into his lap after that. She kissed him hard, she kissed him softly and she kissed him more passionately than she had ever thought herself to be capable of kissing anyone.

And even though the reply to his question had been just as unspoken, Oliver proceeded to spend the next couple of hours making her scream her answer for the whole world to hear.

-§-

_~ Three weeks later ~_

Felicity shifted on her feet. Her brain went over every possible scenario that could occur as she waited in the driveway of the beaten down house that Oliver had left her at. He would be back in a couple of hours, but she had told him that this was something she needed to do by herself. The engagement ring on her finger was a comforting weight and she momentarily ran her thumb over it, twisting it this way and that. She was nervous, but at the same time a little excited. The rest of their family had supported her decision to travel back to Las Vegas, the place she had grown up in. After weeks of contemplation and years of no contact, Felicity had decided to look up her mother. Deep down, she knew that Donna Smoak was a generally happy person, albeit a bit ditsy at times when she got overly excited. However, she was still Felicity's mother and after _years_ of avoiding her mother, Felicity suspected that Donna might have thought she had moved out of the country.

_Or maybe, she just thought Felicity was dead._

Over the years, Felicity hadn't allowed herself to think much about the mother she had left behind when she'd gone to MIT. She had talked to Oliver about her mother a couple of times over the course of their relationship, although she'd made it quite clear that she hadn't wanted her mother in her life while there were so many dangers surrounding them. After getting engaged though, Felicity had woken up the next day with a longing in her heart to seek out the woman she had tried to cut all ties with. It wasn't Donna's fault that Felicity had turned into a werewolf while studying at MIT and it most certainly wasn't her fault that Felicity had been captured and turned into a hybrid against her will. When Oliver had felt her emotions, he had questioned her about the regret that flowed through their bond. Felicity had told him that it had nothing to do with him, but rather her absent mother. Whenever they decided to have their wedding, Oliver's family would be there, and despite having friends to stand up for her, Felicity knew that she would never forgive herself if she didn't at least _try_ to mend the broken bridges between herself and her mother.

So early this morning, they had caught the first flight to Las Vegas and driven out to the area just on the outskirts of town where Felicity had spent most of her younger years. As they had driven through the streets, the familiarity of it all had made Felicity teary-eyed. Oliver hadn't said much, but he had reached over and taken her hand in his, kissing it gently as his thumb moved over the ring he had put on her finger. He'd promised her that he would give her a couple of hours before coming back. They had asked the neighbors if Donna Smoak still lived at the end of the street, even though Felicity knew that she did. She had looked her mother up after feeling the urge to see her again, and from what she had found, it seemed that Donna hadn't moved at all over the years.

It was early still, so Felicity had been surprised to find that her mother wasn't at the house. According to the neighbor, Donna had left an hour ago, most likely to buy some groceries. It was a ridiculous thought considering that Felicity couldn't remember if her mother had ever cooked a single thing during her childhood. It was more likely that she had gone shopping for a new dress.

So she stood there, waiting, and an hour later, a cab came up the street and let out a blonde whirlwind. Her mother looked just as Felicity remembered her: long blonde hair falling down her back, a sparkly dress that was probably too tight and a tad too inappropriate for a woman of her age, with long fingernails and ten different bags that definitely did _not_ contain any groceries. As her mother paid for the cab, Felicity stood still, afraid to even breathe.

But then her mother turned around and froze, staring right back at her without a word. Felicity shifted on her feet again, nervously twirling her ring and she saw when Donna's eyes dropped down to her hand. It was impossible to miss the sparkler, mostly because Felicity was certain her mother had an ability to sniff out everything that was of great value.

"Mom."

Felicity wasn't expecting to choke on the word, but she did. It wasn't out of disgust or spite though. No, it was because of the ache she felt in her chest when she saw the other blonde, and the recognition of just how much she had missed her during all these years.

A second after Felicity's voice had cracked, Donna dropped all the bags she had been holding and stepped forward. She closed the distance between them quickly, an impressing feat considering that she was wearing six-inch stilettos, and Felicity fell into her embrace.

"My little girl," Donna sobbed against her, running her hand over the back of Felicity's head. "My little Felicity."

Felicity let out a shaky breath, returning the hug, holding on just as hard.

-§-

They sat in the living room talking for what felt like hours. Deep down, Felicity knew that too much time couldn't have passed considering that Oliver hadn't texted her yet, but it felt like years passed as she told her mother everything that had been going on in her life. She was a bit weary in the beginning, afraid to discuss the fact that she was a hybrid, but Donna was quick to tell her that she had been aware of her husband's secret.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Felicity asked, sipping on the coffee that Donna had made her. It was the only thing her mother knew how to make, but she'd had some cookies in the cabinet too that she had offered Felicity once they had gotten settled.

"Honestly?" Donna looked down at her lap, contemplating her answer after Felicity nodded. She needed to know. A part of her had always thought her mother hadn't known about her father's wolf-genes. "I guess I wanted to protect you from that part of your father's life," Donna finally replied. "Las Vegas is a hotspot for the supernatural world, but I didn't know that when I first met your father. When I found out about him being a werewolf, I was already so deeply in love with him that I just didn't care," Donna shared. "We got married and after a few months, you were born and we were happy. Your father didn't feel the urges that came with the full moon and he told me it was because he had learned to control himself from a young age. He'd been very young when he'd turned the first time and back then, he'd had his family to help him.

"Your father always said that you were more like me than him," she continued. "When he left us and you didn't show any signs of being a wolf, I thought he meant that you were human." Felicity contemplated her mother's words, knowing deep down that she _had_ , in fact, never really shown any of the attributes of being a wolf until after she left for MIT. She told her mother as much and then proceeded to tell her the story of how she had turned for the first time, so unexpectedly.

"Oh, my poor baby," Donna said afterward, tears welling in her eyes. "If I had known, I would have done something to help. I swear, Felicity, I never meant for us to lose contact."

"Mom, it's my fault that we did," Felicity said. "I tried to protect you… Especially after I was– After I was turned into a hybrid."

Donna gasped, covering her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at her daughter. "Does that– Does that mean that you're… _Dead?_ " She whispered the final word, looking around as if she expected someone to arrest them for discussing the topic of hybridism.

Felicity couldn't help but laugh as she shook her head. "No, mom," she said. "I am very much alive." She told her about what had been going on in Starling City, withholding only the fact that the vigilante that she had been working with to save the city was Oliver Queen. She did, however, tell her about falling in love with her friend, but she knew that it was important to keep Oliver's alter ego a secret until he was ready to share it with Donna himself. First, they needed to get to know one another and telling her mother that she was engaged to marry the love of her life would certainly lead to introductions.

"My God, Felicity," Donna said after a moment. "When your father said you were more like me than him, I didn't realize until just now that he probably was talking about this need to help people. There's a loyalty and light in your heart, something that Noah unfortunately lacked…" There was a forlorn look on Donna's face as she got quiet for a moment. Felicity knew deep down that after all these years, it still hurt her mother that Felicity's father had left them. It was something that had changed their lives and continued to impact on their character, even today.

Felicity's phone buzzed and she turned her attention to the screen. Oliver had texted and wondered whether or not he should come by. Looking up from her phone, Felicity glanced at her mother who was once again smiling lightly.

"How would you like to meet Oliver?" Felicity questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Honey, I'd love to meet him," Donna said. "I don't even know why you're asking me such silly questions."

Felicity returned the text message to Oliver and reached out for her mother's hand. Donna took it gratefully and squeezed back, emitting some kind of feeling of support. Her mother's emotions had always been something that was easy to pick up on. Felicity knew that she didn't need enhanced senses in order to understand what her mother was feeling. Or perhaps it was something that came with her wolf genes? Maybe she had always been so attuned to Donna's feelings because she had felt it through her underlying instincts as a wolf?

Half an hour later, Oliver joined them and Donna spent a good couple of minutes praising Felicity for catching such a fine specimen of a man. Oliver had always had charm when it came to his public persona, but seeing him nervously answer every question that Donna sprung on him was kind of amusing for Felicity. When Oliver excused himself to take a phone call, Donna quickly turned to Felicity in order to gush about the man.

"I am so happy for you both, sweetheart," she said.

"Thank you, mom," Felicity smiled. "I… I can't even begin to explain how happy I am with him. Without him, I don't think I would have been where I am today."

Once again, Donna's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, baby… I know what a soulmate bond looks like when I see one. I've been around wolves enough in my life to know that what you and Oliver share is rare in the most wonderful of ways," she told her. "I'm happy that you reached out to me, I'm happy that you brought him here to meet me and I'm most certainly happy that I didn't find out about your engagement through some gossip magazine." Donna was teasing her and Felicity couldn't help but laugh again.

"It's a wonder that they haven't caught on to it yet," Felicity mused.

"They have to be blind if they haven't noticed this sparkler," Donna grinned, taking Felicity's hand in hers to inspect the ring further. "I know I've said it, but I'll say it again: I'm so happy for you, baby."

Felicity smiled gently, looking up when Oliver entered the room again. His eyes met hers and she felt the way his love washed over her, as it always did when he looked at her. "I am too, mom," Felicity said. "I am too."

-§-

_~ One and a half months later ~_

Oliver wasn't used to waking alone anymore. Ever since moving into their loft, he had woken up with Felicity next to him every single morning. Sometimes, she was draped across his body, other times, her back was pressed tightly against his chest. Then there were the times when he'd woken up to her kissing and licking her way down his body, gently coaxing him to awareness before meeting his eyes with a mischievous glint in hers.

He loved those mornings.

In fact, he loved all of his mornings that meant waking up to his fiancée, getting to hold her for a while before they both needed to get going for the day.

So this morning, when he woke up to find Felicity's side of the bed empty, Oliver frowned. He reached out and found that the sheets were cold and for a moment, dread filled him. Trying to keep calm, he closed his eyes and reached out for her through their bond. It was something that they had learned to do over time and not usually something he did unless he found it absolutely necessary. He just needed to know that she was safe, wherever she was.

It could have been considered a desperate move, especially considering that he hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Later, he realized that he probably should have checked the other rooms before immediately jumping to conclusions, but it was only natural for him to want to feel her. There was a tugging in his chest, something invisible pulling him toward her. Oliver got out of bed and he only stopped long enough to put on a pair of boxers. He made his way out of their bedroom and was confused to find Felicity's sleeping t-shirt neatly folded over the couch. Oliver picked it up and looked around the room, silently wondering where Felicity could have gone off to while nude.

Of course, the rational part of his brain told him that she probably put on some clothes before stepping out, but he found her keys in the little bowl by the front door, which told him that she hadn't even left the apartment. He walked back to the living room and startled when he finally spotted her.

She was laying on the floor, in front of their fireplace, curled up, but awake. Her golden eyes blinked back at him and shifted to blue as she let out a little whine. Oliver walked up to her and sat down on the floor next to her. Running his fingers through her pelt, he immediately felt calmer. Felicity let out a low sound, shifting her head to rest on top of his thigh.

This was the first time since the death of the Count that Felicity had turned into a wolf without having a motive. Normally, when she turned, it was because she was leading her pack during the full moon or because it was needed in the field. When she had turned after killing the Count, she had told Oliver that her reason had been that she'd needed to get a hold of her emotions. Oliver wondered now what could have prompted her change, but no matter how much he tried to pick up on something through their bond, it seemed like he just simply didn't understand it.

After a couple of hours of talking to Felicity without her changing back, Oliver decided to call Roy. The younger man came over immediately, but both of them were shocked to find out that Roy couldn't pick up on anything either,

"She's blocking me, for some reason," Roy said. "There's something going on that she probably doesn't want either of us to know about." The white wolf seemed to huff at that and both Oliver and Roy looked at Felicity before returning to their conversation. "Whatever it is that she's going through, she just assured me that she'll be okay. She just needs some time," Roy shared.

Oliver nodded curtly, but ran his hand over Felicity's head once again for comfort.

That night, Oliver fell asleep on the couch with Felicity as a wolf draped over his legs. The next morning, he woke up when he heard the shower turn on and he stood instantly, sensing Felicity more clearly through the bond again. He headed for the main bathroom, glad to find the door unlocked. When he entered, he was hit by the warmth coming from the shower. Through the foggy glass, he could see Felicity's silhouetted body as she stood under the warm spray of water. The mirror was already fogged up, but Oliver paid no attention to it as he stripped quietly. He pulled the shower door open and entered. As he joined her under the spray, his hands found Felicity's hips, trailing over her hot skin without thought. Felicity hummed lightly, not even turning to look at him as she took a small step back so that she could feel his body pressed up against hers.

Ignoring the effect Felicity had on his body, Oliver gently moved to massage her shoulders, knowing that she sometimes felt sore after a turn. Felicity let out a low moan of appreciation and it was a sound that sent his blood rushing south in less than a second. Still, Oliver continued to ignore his not-so-little problem, content to just keep comforting Felicity with his touch. He kissed her shoulder and Felicity's head fell back against his chest. Her eyes were half-lidded, but he could feel the way that her thoughts were all over the place. She was worried, excited and scared all at the same time. Her emotions were wrapped up in happiness too though, but somehow, it only served to confuse Oliver even more.

"Why did you turn into a wolf?" he found himself asking. As he waited for her reply, he reached over to grab a bottle of shampoo. He massaged it gently into Felicity's hair, his fingers pressing down gently against her scalp in a way that he knew she liked.

"I had a lot on my mind," Felicity finally admitted. "I needed to clear my head and– I needed to go with my instincts on this, Oliver."

"On what, Felicity?" Oliver questioned, still working his fingers through her hair. Felicity reached up though, taking his hand in hers. Oliver didn't speak as she slowly guided his hand down her front, over her stomach before she stopped moving. He didn't say anything as she pressed down lightly, but his breath hitched when he felt the slightly hardened swell of her lower abdomen. His hand rested there as a thousand emotions welled in his chest when he realized what it was that he was feeling. He understood now why Felicity had needed the momentary escape because everything that he had been feeling from her through their bond, he now felt too.

Felicity turned her head to the side and glanced at him over her shoulder. It was clear to him that she was nervous as hell now that she had revealed what she hadn't been ready to discuss yesterday. Despite the worry, Oliver's most prominent emotion was happiness. How could he _not_ be happy about this development? Wasn't _this_ what he had imagined so many times over the course of their relationship? They had talked about it a couple of times and he knew that they hadn't planned this, but on the other hand, they hadn't really been playing it safe every time they'd had sex.

The result of it was literally under his hand and even though he knew he should probably be thinking that it was too soon for them, he couldn't feel anything other than gratitude toward the woman in his arms and complete joy when he thought about the path they would be heading down from now on.

Oliver moved then, turning Felicity so that she was facing him. He gently guided her back, carefully so that they wouldn't slip in the soapy water. Her back connected with the tiled wall and Oliver lowered his face down to hers, claiming her lips in a slow, languid kiss. His palm once again found the little bump of her stomach and he just couldn't stop from kissing Felicity even deeper, when he felt her smile against his lips.

-§-

It just so happened that the following weekend, Moira had invited them all over for dinner. Felicity was both nervous and excited when it came to sharing their news, but over the week, she and Oliver had enjoyed keeping it a secret from everyone else, wanting to give themselves a moment to just be happy about it in private.

Throughout the dinner, Moira had opted for discussing wedding planning, all while sending small looks and comments toward Roy and Thea who had _obviously_ deprived her the experience of planning their wedding. The young couple didn't seem to mind Moira's jabs though, clearly happy with their decision to elope, although Felicity could tell that Roy was a little embarrassed over the fact that Moira kept bringing it up. It helped a little that Donna was there to diffuse the situation. Felicity's mother had been dropping by to visit every few weeks and she had even confessed that she was thinking about relocating to Starling City permanently to be close to Felicity. Despite being too different in character, Moira was welcoming of Donna and it appeared that the two women bonded over their love for their children as well as their troublesome pasts. Donna might not have been threatened into helping a terrorist, but she did know a thing or two about bad men. Even though Moira was a successful politician, the woman didn't have many friends, which was why Felicity figured that her soon to be mother-in-law was so nice to Donna.

It was somewhere between the main course and dessert that Moira asked Felicity whether she and Oliver had decided on a date yet for their wedding.

Nervously, Felicity laughed and blurted, "I think I'd like to get married before I start looking like a whale." It took the words a second for her to register and when she realized what she had said, she looked over at Oliver who only gave her a reassuring smile. They hadn't really planned on telling anyone about the baby yet, but he didn't seem to mind one bit that she had blurted it out like that due to her lack of brain-to-mouth filter. She could always claim that it was due to her pregnancy-brain, but she wasn't sure that it would float with the rest of their family as an excuse.

"You would be the most beautiful whale ever," Oliver said quickly and Felicity couldn't help but laugh at his comment.

"Hey, that's offensive!" Thea protested from across the table and Felicity realized that the rest of their company, hadn't connected the dots just yet.

Just as the thought had crossed her mind, everyone around the table fell into complete silence. Felicity looked at Oliver, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he only gazed lovingly at her as he reached for her hand under the table.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Donna screeched suddenly, rising from her seat as she started jumping up and down, squealing. "My baby is having a baby!"

Felicity blinked a couple of times, but a smile spread across her lips nonetheless as she took in her mother's excitement. The others reacted accordingly after Donna's exclaimed realization. Thea joined her in squealing about becoming an aunt and Walter offered them his congratulations as well as a very manly handshake to Oliver before they threw caution to the wind and embraced. Moira's eyes were teary but there was happiness in them.

Felicity didn't stand until Roy did, though. He walked around the table, grinning widely as he pulled her into a tight hug. She laughed, holding him just as tightly as she finally felt her own tears well. It was hard to remember when she had been this happy. Seeing everyone else's happiness seemed to just fuel her own.

"So, you're having puppies now," Roy smirked.

"Hey!" Felicity smacked him on the arm, but she couldn't help but laugh at his teasing tone. "We're not having puppies. Just one pup. I mean _baby._ We're having a baby."

The rest of the evening was spent laughing and teasing one another over whatever the future might hold for them. The next day, they shared their good news with Diggle and Tommy as well and Tommy didn't waste a second to suggest their kids eventually get married. Oliver shut the idea down, of course, but the smile never left his face as he did.

-§-

_~ A little over a year later ~_

Oliver made his way into their bedroom, a heated bottle in his hand. He made sure that it wasn't too hot, because after a couple of trial and error on both his and Felicity's side, they had learned at which temperature their daughter liked her formula.

Whenever Oliver thought of his daughter, a smile was never far from his lips. Diggle, Tommy and Roy used to tease him about it; how he had been walking around like a kid on Christmas during Felicity's final weeks of pregnancy. Oliver had brushed them off, but deep down he had known that he was ecstatic. The pregnancy had been pretty standard, or at least he figured that it had been. Both he and Felicity had had their respective freakouts a couple of months in, realizing that they were, in fact, bringing a child into the world; a defenseless little baby that their enemies could get their hands on if they didn't watch out for them. That was when Diggle and Tommy had come in, reassuring them that it was normal to be worried, but the two of them had also reminded them that the baby would have their entire family watching out for it. Felicity and Oliver wouldn't be alone and that eased their minds a little. Then there was that other time when Felicity panicked because she wasn't sure how her hybridism would affect their baby. Oliver hadn't had any knowledge in that matter, but he told her that if their baby _did_ inherit some form of hybridism, they would love him or her either way.

There had been many moments like that, when they had felt insecure about whether or not they would be good parents. Whenever they occurred though, they always managed to pull one another back from the edge.

They had gotten married just two months after they had announced that they were expecting. His mother hadn't been very happy about having to rush the planning of the wedding, but Felicity had stepped up and told her that she didn't want anything too extravagant. In truth, Oliver and Felicity had been ready to just invite their friends and family and sign the papers at City Hall, but Moira had insisted that they have a _real_ wedding.

It went off without a hitch, with just a single panic attack between the two of them which was quickly diffused. Felicity had without a doubt been the most beautiful bride Oliver had ever laid eyes on and they had exchanged their vows in front of their loved ones and some other high profile people from around the country that his mother had insisted on inviting.

The tabloids had gone nuts, of course, because it wasn't until after they had made a public announcement of their engagement that the gossip magazines had realized that Felicity had been sporting a ring on her left ring finger for quite some time. Then, the big mystery became figuring out exactly _when_ Oliver had proposed, which meant that they reposted old pictures that had been taken of them in order to set up a timeline. Oliver couldn't for the life of him figure out just _why_ that would be the interesting part, but whenever a paparazzi approached him or Felicity on the streets, they were always smiling and expressing nothing but pure happiness. Once they released their official wedding pictures, Oliver's mother made a statement as the Mayor, thanking everyone for the well-wishes on her son's behalf.

Of course, they didn't find out about the baby until Felicity literally _popped_ overnight, much like Laurel had when she had been pregnant with her and Tommy's son. Oliver had had to argue with Felicity to stop reading the magazines online that suggested that Felicity had fallen pregnant while they had been involved in some torrid office romance and that the wedding had been a shotgun wedding.

"It's ridiculous, Oliver!" Felicity had said angrily one night. "I mean, my mom doesn't even _own_ a shotgun, much less know how to use one."

Besides the small hiccups caused by their doubt and the annoyance from the press, everything else had gone off without a hitch. Oliver could still remember the first time that he'd heard their baby's heartbeat. Neither he nor Felicity had told anyone that he had actually shed some tears when the doctor had given them some privacy. It had been difficult to hold in back then because the unadulterated joy that he'd felt had just been too much.

Felicity's contractions had started late at night and Oliver had been in such a rush to reach the hospital that Felicity had threatened to call Diggle to pick them up if he didn't slow down, so he did. Early the next morning, their daughter had been born and she had been the most perfect little thing that Oliver had ever laid eyes on.

Audrey was a healthy little baby girl, with ten fingers, ten toes and a _crazy_ set of lungs that had made themselves known when she came into the world. Oliver had cried, but so had Felicity, so it was okay. Their family had been in the waiting room when Oliver had stepped out, tears still fresh on his cheeks as he announced that they had a daughter.

Now, a couple of months later, they'd learned that Audrey wasn't as fussy as they had thought she might be. No, she just liked her formula lukewarm, and anything less or more wasn't acceptable.

"She's a little princess," Roy had teased once when Felicity had complained. "Of course she wouldn't want to drink anything that isn't high quality."

Felicity normally breastfed Audrey, but they had just recently started supplementing with formula. Oliver was always happy to get the bottle ready for Audrey while Felicity held the baby close, because they had found that she would settle much easier after she was fed.

Now, Oliver made his way into their bedroom and found his wife holding the little baby girl that was gurgling in her arms. He smiled, climbing onto the bed as Felicity took the bottle from him with one hand and then transferred Audrey into his arms with the other arm. Oliver kissed the baby girl on the forehead and she made a face before letting out a small cry of protest. Felicity chuckled and Oliver knew that Audrey's reaction was due to his beard that he'd let grow a bit longer than usual. Felicity tested the formula and then leaned back against the headboard, holding the bottle against Audrey's mouth. The baby latched on to the nipple instantly and started sucking with vigor, making Oliver chuckle as well.

"Someone's hungry," he said, grinning up at Felicity who was smiling as she watched their daughter. Oliver gently took over with the feeding and Felicity laid back down, still turned toward them.

"Hm… I can't even begin telling you just how big you look with Audrey curled up against your chest like that," Felicity said, voice low.

Oliver offered her a wink. "You've told me plenty of times already," he cheekily pointed out. "I seem to remember a couple of them, when you could barely wait for me to put her back in her crib before you attacked me–"

"Oh, please," Felicity interrupted, hand smacking his thigh before resting there completely. "As if you didn't enjoy every second of those 'attacks', as you so kindly put it."

"What can I say? I do have a thing for you taking charge, especially in bed," Oliver said.

"Baby ears," Felicity objected.

"It's not like she'll remember any of this, Felicity," Oliver laughed, shaking his head. He looked back down at his daughter, feeling that warmth bubble up inside of him as her blue eyes fluttered. Removing the bottle, Oliver made sure to burp her before returning her to her crib. He stood there for a moment, looking down at the little girl who had brought so much light into his life, just like her mother had.

As Audrey fell asleep, Oliver placed the blanket over her and then turned back around to face Felicity. She had tears in her eyes and Oliver quickly realized that he must have voiced his thoughts and gratefulness out loud.

"If you keep talking like that, it probably won't be long until I'm pregnant again," Felicity teased, wiping the corner of her eye.

Oliver crawled onto the bed and quickly covered her body with his, his face hovering above hers. "I'd have a hundred babies with you," he professed and Felicity laughed quietly, careful not to wake Audrey again.

"That's easy for you to say since you don't actually have to carry the baby around for nine months or go through labor pains _or_ actually give birth to the child," she said, her hands resting on his shoulders.

"Trust me, I felt the labor pains," Oliver joked, wincing internally as he recalled just how hard Felicity had squeezed his hand.

"Hm… How about we give Audrey a chance to grow up a little before we start working on baby number two?" Felicity suggested as she started pulling him down.

"I think I can agree to that," Oliver smiled and sealed it with a kiss.

-§-

_~ Three years later ~_

There was something special about the early hours of the morning. Oliver absolutely loved it. Lazy mornings in bed, with his wife curled up against his side… After so many years of not sleeping well, Oliver was finally able to enjoy a good night's sleep and he knew that his wife was a part of that change.

It was a sunny morning after a long week of rain. Winter in Starling City had always been like that; either rainy with the rare occurrence of snow, or cold and sunny with lower temperatures, compared to the rest of the year. One could never really prepare for what they got, although this particular morning, Oliver had woken up feeling more energetic than he had all week, despite waking early. After kissing his wife on the forehead and having her mumble "Five more minutes," in his general direction, Oliver decided to make both her and Audrey some pancakes for breakfast.

He was deep in thought about how the holidays were coming up soon and how he and Felicity _really_ needed to get their shopping done started, so he almost missed it when a sleepy looking Audrey walked into the kitchen. She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her stuffed toy wolf that she had gotten as a gift from Sara in her hand. Oliver smiled at her as she pulled out her special chair and sat down close enough to watch him cook. He leaned down toward her and kissed her cheek, "Good morning, baby."

"Morning, daddy," Audrey returned, yawning again as she leaned her head against the table. She watched him work in silence for a little while, but he could tell by the way that she was shifting that she wanted to ask something. It was a trait she had gotten from her mother and Oliver loved it.

"Is there something on your mind, Audrey?" he questioned, stacking the pancakes on top of one another.

There was a concentrated look on Audrey's face, her eyebrows pinched together as she seemed to contemplate how to put her thoughts into words. "Daddy," she said, and the frown she was sporting at that moment reminded him so much of Felicity, that he had to actually stop himself from laughing. "Why is mommy a wolf?"

The question caught him by surprise. Both he and Felicity had discussed Felicity's abilities with Audrey when they had realized that she both picked up on and understood more than the average kid would at her age. She had clearly gotten her brains from her mother, something that Oliver was immensely grateful for, but it also meant that she had a lot of questions for her parents.

"We talked about this already, baby," Oliver said, not really sure why she was asking him that. Felicity had explained some of her powers to Audrey, including the fact that she could turn into a wolf at will, but they had told Audrey that it was a secret that needed to be kept from everyone who wasn't a part of their family. They had told them that Felicity's abilities helped keep their family safe from bad people, but they hadn't gotten around to explaining the fact that Oliver was the newly dubbed _Green Arrow._

"I know, daddy," Audrey rolled her eyes. "I mean, why is she a wolf _right now?_ There are no bad men here."

Oliver turned his attention to the door when he heard the soft padding approaching. His breath hitched when he saw Felicity, changed into her wolf form, just standing there as if waiting for him to react. Audrey giggled at the dumbfounded expression on his face, and the sound made the white wolf step closer. Oliver stared at Felicity as she moved to him first, nuzzling against his leg before continuing over to their baby girl. It took him another second, but he recognized this move from a little over four years ago and through their bond that was wide open, he knew that his suspicions were right. A bright smile bloomed over across his lips at the realization of what was happening and he continued to focus his gaze on his wife that sat down next to their daughter.

Audrey let out a delighted laugh again, running her hand through Felicity's warm fur before climbing directly from the chair onto her mother's back. Oliver observed them and met the wolf's eyes as the golden irises turned light blue. His heart beat wildly in his chest when Felicity approached him again, this time with Audrey sitting astride her back. He found himself forgetting all about the pancakes and he lowered himself down to kneel on the floor. Audrey climbed from her mother's back into Oliver's lap and the white wolf nuzzled its nose against Oliver's palm when he reached out to her. She moved closer, tongue licking across Oliver's cheek in affection and the move had him grinning like a madman. He kissed the top of Audrey's head when Felicity brushed past him, toward their bedroom.

Oliver stood, Audrey still in his arms as he placed her on her chair again and offered her a plate of pancakes.

"Stay here, baby," he said gently. "I just need to talk to mommy for a bit."

Audrey only hummed in reply before digging into her pancakes and Oliver hurried to the bedroom, but not before making sure that the stove was turned off. He found Felicity in human form again, tying her silk robe together. She was smiling when she turned in his direction and Oliver's eyes trailed heatedly over her body as he took her in. Felicity walked up to him, brushing back a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked up at him, almost nervously.

Oliver's hand found her lower abdomen and _there_ , he felt it, confirming what Felicity had wordlessly tried to tell him in the kitchen. The smile that graced his face might have been blinding, although it had nothing on the toe-curling kiss that he dropped on Felicity when she grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him close.

**The End.**

**(For now.)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! *Wipes away a drop of sweat* I honestly can't believe I've reached this point in the story, but I suppose it's time to once again say thank you for reading and supporting me and my story. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and wishes and I can only hope that I've fulfilled some of them with this epilogue. The reason that I wrote the "For now" after the end, is because I have a plan to eventually write some one-shots in relation to this story. It won't be tomorrow, or the day after that. Most likely, it won't be for a good while, but I know that I will revisit this universe at some point in the future... When I feel like it. It will be tooth-rotting and domestic as hell, but I'm sure you guys wouldn't mind a closer look at Audrey growing up and everything else.
> 
> So, for the final time for this story: Thank you for reading and don't forget to share your thoughts. Lots of love, until next time. xx

**Author's Note:**

> Story Summary: Supernatural hunter Oliver Queen's latest mission's name is Felicity Smoak; a new born hybrid who has gone rogue and left her master. The new hunt brings unexpected twists and turns and when the young hybrid saves his life, Oliver realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye. The hybrid might not be the biggest monster in Starling City and as their unexplainable bond grows stronger, he learns that you can't plan who you fall in love with.


End file.
